The Color of Rain
by seeingxred
Summary: Two years' time left a void within Aomine Daiki over his basketball. Intuition told at best it was due to never seeking closure with his past shadow. But what if it was too late to mend what he's thrown away? It was time he finally sought out Kuroko on a whim for answers. Even after their encounter, the rain never ceased to fall when fate brought the two together for years to come.
1. Void

**The Color of Rain**

 **Disclaimers** : I do not own any piece of work deriving from the manga or anime adaptations of Kuroko no Basuke.

 **Void**

Not an opportunity of silence presented itself throughout the match held within the basketball courts of Tōō Academy. Enveloping the entire court's atmosphere was the chants of the bench players giving their support to their respective team members. Though a practice match ensued, both teams of Tōō and Seirin didn't falter on their performance.

The contact of the basketball slamming around the courts were now towering over the chants of each team as they paused to observe the next play that was about to commence. In hand, Furihata dribbled the radiant orange ball in a steady rhythmic tempo as observed his surroundings with multiple glances toward the opposing first year player marked on him, but also glanced over to the scoreboard overhead to see the time remaining on the fourth quarter. With less than two and a half minutes remaining, the brunette young man furrowed his brows in frustration. Not only was the match minutes from being finished, but Tōō had a three point advantage over their own.

"Ninety-eight to ninety-five… we have to act fast." Furihata murmured, his lips curling downwards with a hint of frustration. Each member of Seirin had their own battle to face constantly aiming to evade the opposing team's guard on them. God, was Furihata pressured more than ever at this last sliver of time of the end of the quarter. Thankfully his cautious demeanor served great promise on the court and his eyes brightened immediately as soon he saw the opportunity to execute his pass.

Catching the ball with ease by the phantom player Kuroko, Furihata nodded with succession as he began to retreat toward their basket. A rather distinct orange haired foreign player of Tōō Academy's team exhaled with deep frustration of letting the azure haired player drift away from his line of sight and he immediately rushed to attempt to claim the ball once more. As quick as the ball touched the pale fingertips of Kuroko's hand, his instant reaction to pass once more was even quicker than the opposing member could ever anticipate.

Kuroko flawlessly projected the ball to the direction of Seirin's number ten, Kagami Taiga who was already passed the center of the full court, and managed to escape the guard of another student of Tōō's. A small smile from Kuroko's lips was exchanged to the blazing burgundy haired man as Kagami immediately turned to finish the play at hand.

As soon as Kagami turned his frame to advance toward their basket, he was faced with a pair of steady indigo eyes piercing through him. Kagami paused immediately, retracting the ball toward the right hand side of his body, calculating how to maneuver through this dangerous individual.

"Practice game or not, we're not planning on giving up, Aomine." Kagami heaved with a grin plastered on his face. The fluctuation of Kagami's small pants were enough for Aomine Daiki to tell that the wild Seirin player was about to exceed his limitations. Sweat heavily fell from both ace's, and though Aomine also felt the slight strain of fatigue, he decided he was done letting Seirin continue with their advances. Simply ignoring the comment, Aomine sunk his upper body slightly, arms hung over his knees low and relaxed, his lips pressed into a firm line as he played various scenarios in his mind of how Kagami would proceed. With less than two minutes to spare, Aomine will not give anyone the satisfaction of letting his guard down with three points in the lead.

Kagami quickly exhaled and dove the ball between his legs to meet with his left hand and he darted toward the darker man's right hand side. Aomine scoffed, suspecting this course of action and begins to counter, when he feels the presence of another body just centimeters away from his own being. Aomine's eyes lightly widen as he's faced with Fukuda's screen, taking away from his initial reaction to strike the ball from Kagami's grasp.

Not wasting another second of time on the scoreboard, Kagami proceeded to close the distance of their basket with rapid speed but now found another obstacle to overcome in which was Tōō's center who was almost a two centimeter's taller than their previous center Wakamatsu. Kagami cursed internally, furrowing his rather fierce brows and advanced with his run toward the basket.

Tōō's center, a tall individual who bore a stoic expression upon his face began to bend at the knees, knowing Kagami's intent to dunk the ball. Observing that shift, Kagami immediately came to a pause at the free throw line with his feet pivoting to his left hand side, and Aomine gritted his teeth in realization.

"Hatsu!" Aomine barked, now evading Fukuda's screen to recover to Kagami and Hatsu's position. "Don't jump too soon, he's going for a lane up!" Those words were shouted all too late as Hatsu undoubtedly leaped in the air with intent to stop Kagami. Hatsu, a rather large in stature blond haired second year, choked out an exhale as he saw Kagami retract the ball toward his lower left hand side with both hands before sinking his hips to draw out one of the last inhumane jumps anyone has ever witnessed in the sport.

In just short moments after, Kagami exhaled with a yell, his body almost catapulted by his own kinetic energy to draw his play to an end. Hatsu could only gawk in disbelief that he fell for such a tactic that the insane Seirin member conditionally uses. He didn't blink as he felt his own body gravitate back down toward the wooden floorboards of the court first as Kagami continue to maintain airborne past the free throw line.

With the piercing, heavy bent sounds of the rim being slammed on by Kagami's rather large hand, and a violent swish of the net, the uproars of the players ceased as those fierce crashes of the dunk were echoed throughout the court now. A second after the completed play, the entire team of Seirin exclaimed with succession of Kagami's dunk, and the scoreboards now read ninety-seven in favor of Seirin.

Kagami released the rim, balling his fist with satisfaction as he now made his way over to his team mates jogging past a discontented Aomine who now has his eyes narrowed to a firm view. The tanned man stood unwavering for a couple moments before craning his head behind him to see Kagami and his former partner Kuroko exchanging praises to each teammate. Kuroko's typical slight smile crease over the left side of his firm lips.

That smile still hasn't changed.

Aomine's attention was always fixed on their synchronization throughout the entirety of the practice game— actually throughout each game they've played now for the past three years in high school. The corner of Aomine's lips gave a single involuntary twitch as he thought of his uneasiness toward the pair.

Throughout the past years, Seirin and Tōō both experienced their fair share of wins and losses to each other. At this point, Aomine discovered that he was yearning for more than victory for his respective team. Aomine had always pronounced his ability to exceed over Kagami's own. That mere thought caused his fists to tighten turning his knuckles a lighter shade of bronze. _Why doesn't this feel like enough then?_ Aomine's irritation remained fixed on how Kuroko and Kagami's harmonization reflected their match on the court. This all too familiar memory of Kuroko's team play with the indigo short haired man still lingered within his mind for years. He was sure that their basketball was the feeling he wanted to grasp once again with Kuroko by his side. He _needed_ Kuroko to see that.

"Aomine, I'm sorry." Hatsu's voice had sounded behind Aomine, breaking the indigo haired man out of his trance. Aomine turned his head back to the second year, who now avoided his line of sight. "I shouldn't have reacted so stupidly." Aomine simply sighed and shrugged off the sense of regret Hatsu had conveyed and fully turned his body around to head to Tōō's side of the court.

"Don't worry about it." The low murmur escaped from Aomine's lips as he still eyed team Serin, but most importantly, his old shadow being Kuroko Tetsuya. "To think I would be caught by a worthless pick and roll." _Especially getting caught by someone a couple inches shorter than me._ Aomine inhaled slowly through his nostrils and let out an audible exhale. Hatsu shot his eyes up toward Aomine's back with the large number five imprinted on his jersey. "The game's not over yet. We'll just tag them back." With that last statement, Aomine began to head back to Tōō's basket.

He caught a glance from Kuroko who observed Aomine's return to his side of the court, and in return Aomine averted his eyes. Within that moment, Kuroko could see through the stern eyes Aomine bore and saw a sense… of guilt? Possibly a faint glimpse of yearning? Kuroko's lips parted slightly as his light eyes trailed toward Aomine's backside tracing the advances of the tall man making his way back to Tōō's side of the court.

The face of Kuroko's innocence burned through Aomine's mind. The ease the shadow player felt with his teammates showed in the way Kuroko carried himself through the game. The navy eyed man knit his thin eyebrows even more than before as he coudn't recall the last time he's felt that sort of comfort.

"… Aomine-kun!" Momoi, the long fuchsia haired manager of Tōō piped loudly, finally snapping the tanned man out of his internal dilemma. He shot his eyes toward her in slight annoyance, using his left hand to brush his fingers through his short hair. "There's less than a minute left in this quarter! I—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just go with a quick shot to end this," Aomine curtly interrupted, bringing his hand to his hip and then gave her a brash smirk. "Am I right?" Momoi opened her mouth to speak once more, but to her dismay immediately withdrew once the ball was handed to the foreign Tōō player and Aomine immediately turned his attention back to the last play at hand.

"I'm sure you can see that something is off with him." The hesitant voice of Sakurai travelled to Momoi's line of hearing. She turned her pink orbs over to the self-blamer and nodded her head in affirmation as she let out a frustrated sigh. Sakurai, now with his hair almost touching his shoulders, smiled timidly now following his teammate's suit. "But even like this, I know we will pull through." At the statement, Momoi sat down on the bench, her face reading concern all the while keeping her gaze at Aomine before setting her attention back to the remainder of the game.

The squeaks of the basketball shoes resounded more than ever throughout the court. Furihata quickly shot his head toward his left and right side of the court toward team Seirin catching the opposing team members in their guard. "This is our last shot!" The buffer immediately sending a surge of confidence to each member. Now came Kawahara of Seirin who displayed phenomenal technique in avoiding the Too foreigner on advancing any further with his pass. The orange haired individual retracted the ball with both hand to his right hand side, and at that moment, the buzzed cut Kawahara shot a smile toward him. At that moment of confusion reaching the offensive player's face, the momentum of Kuroko's pale hand with grace swatted the ball out of his hands. From Tōō's bench, Momoi and their coach Harasawa rose simultaneously with expanded eyes toward the steal the phantom player just executed.

"Kagami-kun!" Kuroko shouted, his cobalt orbs projecting the ball to proceed over to Kagami's line of reach. Kuroko immediately started to race over to their side of the basket, ignoring the fatigue that overwhelmed his entire being.

With only thirty seconds left, Seirin needed to make this shot.

Seirin's ace grasped the ball firmly with both hands and also followed Kuroko suit, easily dodging the frail Sakurai, whose worried facial features seem to transmit to the court more than ever. Just as Kagami was passed the three point line, he was again stopped by not only Hatsu, but also by a venomous Aomine who stretched both arms outward, giving Kagami more of a disadvantage to proceed.

"Damn it!" Barked Kagami through his teeth, dribbling the ball closely to his right hand side. _What do I do?_ He could see the sly smirk crept over Aomine's lips, knowing that they were on their last remaining seconds. His fiery eyes shot around, seeing his teammates caught in a bind with Tōō's players. _Just what the hell do I do now?_ With his last glance, Kagami caught the sight of Kuroko's short frame inches past both Hatsu and Aomine, and wasting not another second, passed the ball over to his partner who caught the orange ball with ease and now turned toward the net of their basket. Hatsu clicked his tongue, while Aomine darted after the shadow player. Kagami drew in a quick breath, ready to follow when Hatsu extended his arms out now, stopping Kagami's advances. Kagami jerked his eyes toward the timer. Six seconds left. "Shoot, Kuroko! This is it!"

Kuroko's steady demeanor already knew time was at stake. His cobalt orbs focused on the basket in front of him, and he pressed his lips firmly together, ready to commence his play. He immediately held the ball over his left hand in preparation for his unique phantom shot. With a bow of his knees, Kuroko leapt toward the air wasting no more time to drive the ball upwards with his right palm. This was now or never.

"No you don't, Tetsu!" A snarl was heard in close proximity. Aomine was now centimeters in front of Kuroko, his leap exceeding Kuroko's air time. With his large right hand, Aomine violently smacked the ball down to the other side of Kuroko's small frame. The former light's momentum and power was enough to jerk Kuroko's hand along with his whole body toward the ground.

Kuroko's eyes widened as he felt his figure sink backwards, and though his azure bangs flowed over his eyes during mid fall, he caught Aomine's eyes on him, confirming the guilt swirling within his eyes. Using his right foot, Kuroko was able to shoot his leg toward the wooden floorboards catching his fall, but accompanied with the sound of the buzzer going off was a sharp pain surging through his ankle as he rolled on it harshly, now falling on the ground.

Ignoring the clamor of victory chants from Tōō Academy's players, Aomine froze just feet away from Kuroko's fallen form. Even with his light blue hair over his eyes, Aomine could make out his pained expression as Kuroko gritted his teeth with sharp pants in between and gripping both hands over his foot and ankle in strain. _This isn't what I wanted._ Aomine's lips parted, his sharp eyebrows lowered as he hesitantly brought forth his hand to reach his former partner _._

Before Kuroko could even notice Aomine's advances, Kagami rushed to his side lowering himself to read Kuroko's expression at a proper eye level. Aomine froze at the action, now retracting his hand to place back down to his side, and he returned to his usual cold sober demeanor watching the two intently.

Wincing through the sharp pain, Kuroko released his leg, leaning his frame's weight toward his left arm in attempt to rise off the ground. As soon as a mere hint of pressure was applied to his right foot, Kuroko fell back down, knitting his brows together in frustration. "It's just a sprain." He softly murmured as he once again shuffled in attempt to rise off his feet. Kagami clicked his tongue angrily at his partner, who seemed at a loss with trying to compose himself back up. Kagami then sighed deeply, hooking his right hand underneath Kuroko's tricep and his left arm supporting his waist as he gently hoisted up his partner from the ground at ease.

"Baka…" Kagami seethed lightly, draping his partner's arm over his shoulder. Kuroko struggled to find a comfortable spot to settle his hand due the inhumane width of Kagami's size. Kuroko stared up at the burgundy haired man softly, who saw his attention turned to the scoreboard. "Despite the loss, you did great today. Don't go trying to shoulder these things on your own." Kagami spoke lightly now. Kagami then fixed his gaze upon Aomine, to which Kuroko followed.

"Thank you for the game today, Aomine-kun." Kuroko stated firmly, shifting his right leg from the ground to avoid any further ache emitting from his injury. Aomine stiffened as he caught that same smile Kuroko honestly presents. The smile Aomine already knew would form from the left hand corner of his narrow lips first. There were various notions he remembered from his former shadow in the past years spent together, and that smile was one of those memories he hasn't forgotten. The indigo haired ace of Tōō shrugged off that thought and started back toward the center of the court for the lineup.

"Next time will be our last game against each other." Aomine replied in a cool tone, his eyes fixed between both players before walking past their line of sight. "When that time comes, you both better come at me with everything you have."

Kagami's brow twitched in annoyance as he jerked back his body toward Aomine, almost forgetting about Kuroko's injured frame supported by his own. Letting the snide remark pass Kagami's booming voice, Kuroko held that small smile, knowing that Aomine meant no malice to his words. As soon as Kagami vocally exhausted himself, they begin to carefully for Kuroko's sake, regroup back to the center of the court to officially close out the practice game.

* * *

"Though we've barely made it by a one point lead, we cannot underestimate the new members Seirin has brought out to the court today." Momoi briefed the Tōō players within the locker room, brushing her long pink hair over her shoulders. The manager picked up her clipboard from beside her spot on the cold metal bench and held it up momentarily to show the members the notes she's collected. "Over this weekend I'll be converting this information to distribute for everyone to see and strategize how to overcome those obstacles." Momoi's fuchsia eyes shot toward Hatsu's and he instantly jolted up in fear knowing the next part coming from her mouth. "Each of you will be given different routines to work on, that way next time we can read their predictions before jumping the gun on recovering." The third year manager smiled brightly after her statement, but Hatsu as well as the other members could feel the small hint of venom radiate off her aura.

"Before dismissing you all, keep in mind that we have three more games within the Winter Cup. This our last chance of the year to show every team across Japan what we can deliver. This is also the last chance…" He paused, peering his eyes over specifically to Aomine and Sakurai, both seated. Sakurai's worried eyes were nothing short of attentive while Aomine was slouched over, his elbows resting over his knees and his head draped over with a towel, concealing his eyes. "…for our third years to bring everything they have to the table in this tournament. I know you all with be giving me nothing but your best performance."

The rummaging of bags being grasped and the closure of lockers echoed throughout the room as each of the Too members were dismissed by the coach, beaming with joy on how promising the upcoming matches will be for them. The brunette Sakurai stood up from his seating on the bench next to Aomine with his gym bag hoisted over his shoulder. Brushing his bangs timidly behind his ear with his left hand, he glanced down toward Aomine, who still remained immobile from his position. Sakurai and Momoi exchanged glances with the understanding that they both shard the same uneasiness for their ace.

"Ryō." Aomine called out unmoving from his position. Sakurai was taken aback, nearly dropping his bag to the ground before straightening up his posture and faced Aomine once more.

"Y-yes..?" Sakurai still carried himself timidly around Aomine though their relationship as classmates and teammates remained consistent throughout their high school careers.

Aomine shifted his body upward, now supporting his body toward the cold metal texture of the lockers behind his frame. Still, he made no attempt to remove the towel from over his face to show his expression. "Have I changed since our first year playing?" His question was spoken in a low tone, arms now draping over his legs. The shooting guard of Tōō was startled at this question. Darting his eyes to Momoi, who was just as surprised, he quickly turned back to his classmate, shifting the weight of his feet and nervously holding unto his bag to reach an answer.

"Though…" Sakurai started slowly, now pausing to find the right words to convey. The sound of Aomine's slow breathing was resonant within the room and Momoi slowly sat back down, wanting to hear his answer. "Though some juniors can't see it, I believe you have. With a team that first started out working on individual play, I believe over the years, we've start to actually play as a team. No matter if it was a slight change in our training, to even hearing a small praise from you in between plays, I think you've changed for the better." Sakurai lessened the grip on his bag, waiting on Aomine's thoughts on his belief.

"Hn… is that so?" Aomine lazily removed the towel overheard, lightly ruffling his short navy hair after as he fixed his eyes toward the ground. _Then why do I feel this sense of void inside?_ Aomine exhaled his breath, standing up to return the towel over to the school hamper located toward the other side of the room where he crossed Sakurai's direction. Aomine paused, eyeing Sakurai who could looked ready to apologize. Aomine's tanned features lightened, his eyes at ease, and he pat his classmate's shoulder softly with his hand before continuing to discard the towel and gather his belongings. "I appreciate it."

With eyes wider than ever before, Sakurai along with Momoi were struck by Aomine's gratitude. They stared, unmoving from their current position.

As Aomine combed through his belongings to make sure he didn't forget about any of his items, Sakurai bowed quickly, his hair hiding his satisfaction on his face. "You're welcome, Aomine-san!" As quickly as he replied, Sakurai exited the locker room seeming a little less frantic than his usual self now.

"Dai-chan..." Momoi whispered, clutching her clipboard as usual to her chest. There was still a feeling of worry surging inside her. "This is about Tetsu-kun, isn't it?" Aomine zipped up his bag firmly, hoisting the bag over his left shoulder and turned to face her. "You should go talk to him, Dai-chan. Whatever happened back then—"

"What makes you think what I had to say was about Tetsu, Satsuki?" Aomine was very good at interrupting his pink haired friend. His chin rose slightly as he dove his hands into the pockets of his Tōō jacket. This conversation had sounded very familiar to his companion. At that thought, Momoi stomped her right foot with a small huff of her breath and marched over to Aomine now inches away from him and in slight surprise, he retracted his head. With her height not even reaching over his shoulders, she poked rather violently at his chest causing him to twitch in irritation.

"Do I have to remind you that I've known you since we were kids? I know when something is bothering you. It has been for _years_ , and it shows more when I watch games with you against Tetsu-kun." It was like Momoi to constantly lecture her friend no matter the subject. Aomine stared down at the pink haired manager, her eyes flashing with fierce honesty toward his own. Aomine was the first to cut off the gaze, with a small blink, he swatted her finger away from his chest gently and proceeded toward the door. "Dai-chan, you know I'm right!" She turned, her long hair whipping back over her shoulders as she was about to hurry back over to her friend. "I've been right for years."

"If it was that easy, I would've done this long ago, Satsuki." Aomine's reply stopped her on her tracks, and she watched as Aomine opened the door to the locker room to exit leaving Momoi to watch, her lips pursed in dismay.

* * *

The walls of gymnasium remained silent as most of lights were already flickered off in closure to outside guest wanting to go in. Aomine wandered over to the exit of the double doors where he saw a glimpse of a player in a Seirin jersey exit. Aomine internally shrugged, he guessed that this was another opportunity missed to talk with his former partner. Within that same moment, a familiar, rather annoying heavy voice resounded from the gym forcing Aomine to abruptly stop right next to the hallway leading to the other locker room within. Soon another voice chimed in, but this one was soft and subtle.

 _Tetsu._

This void Aomine felt inside, could this really be all from his former partner? After their first year's Winter Cup, Aomine carried himself and his views on basketball in a different light. He believed throughout these past years that he was going through a positive progression throughout his time with Tōō's basketball team. Wasn't that enough for him? The tall ace huffed, dismissing his internal battle and turned heel toward the direction of the locker room where Seirin duo were located.

Echoing through the hall were exchanges between Kuroko and Kagami. Aomine ceased his footsteps, now leaning his body against the walls of the entrance of the locker room, closing his eyes in thought of how he wanted to advance with this conversation.

Inside the locker room, Kagami with two bags slung over each shoulder, impatiently waited for the azure haired boy to slip on his shoes before making their exit. Applying his left one with ease, Kuroko pressed his lips together in thought on how to approach his injured foot. There was already a difference in size as his right foot was swollen with a slight tone of pink. As steady as he could, Kuroko gently slipped his Asics on. He could feel Kagami's gaze on him and the smaller man sighed. "A cripple cannot be rushed, Kagami-kun." Kuroko deadpanned, staring up at Seirin's ace after tying his shoe.

"You don't have to say it like that." Kagami retorted, a frown displaying on his face as he now eyed Kuroko's injured leg. "You probably can't play this upcoming game, you know." Kagami added, throwing the shadow's jacket over to his direction. "If it wasn't for that bastard Aomine—"

"That wasn't intentional." Kuroko stated, pausing to reconfirm in his mind the multiple glances he caught from Aomine. The strain he saw deep within his eyes that bore into the cerulean eyes of Kuroko's own.

"Yeah? How can you be so sure?" Kagami challenged, now crossing his arms. Kuroko fell silent, adjusting the jacket over his body before buttoning it up.

"Aomine-kun has always been an honest player." Kuroko replied, carefully rising off his feet, avoiding the use of his right leg. He leaned his hand over the left hand side of the locker as Kagami followed behind him to assist. "Besides, I can see that Aomine-kun has changed."

Outside of the locker room, Aomine's eyes shot open in surprise. Though delicate, Aomine could tell that Kuroko's voice held no malice toward his statement. The tanned man dug his hands out of his pockets, wanting to take this opportunity to speak with him privately before he left again with no knowledge on when the next encounter would be. The laugh of Kagami Tiaga had interrupted his moment, and Aomine settled back against the wall, his eyes now relaxing back to normal as he awaited of what comments were to arise next.

"What has changed? The fact that he still hasn't asked you to practice with him like he used to? Besides the street ball match with the Vorpal Swords, when has he actually got in contact with you?" Kagami tone toward the end was stern. His eyes peered down at the pale man beside him, waiting for an answer. Kuroko stared off to the opposing wall ahead of him, searching for an answer.

Anticipation rose within Aomine. His fingers balled into a light fist by each side of his torso as he waited for Kuroko's answer. Seconds had past. The shuffling of adjusting feet were heard within the room as Kagami shifted Kuroko in a manner easier to assist out of the gym. Now a minute has been spent and there was yet a response to break the silence inside the locker room. Aomine half-heartedly smirked through one corner of his lips, and straightened up to make his exit.

He figured that there would be no answer for the distance he placed with himself and his former partner was true. This wasn't want the navy haired man wanted, but after everything he's done to Kuroko in the past, how can he possibly mend the relationship? Not wasting another second, Aomine dismissed the hopeful reply he knew he would never hear and made his way back to the heart of the gymnasium to exit.

Shutting off the lights of the locker room, Kagami carefully pried open the door allowing his shadow to hobble out of the room first before following suit. The hallway leading to the center of the gym was dim. Kuroko glanced up at Kagami who already seemed to have forgotten about his unanswered question. "Kagami-kun." Kuroko called out, darting his eyes back to the walkway, almost reaching the opening of the basketball court ahead.

"Ah, Kuroko, don't tell me you forgot something." The red haired ace replied, now coming to a stop and looking down at his teammate with his eyebrows raised. The porcelain skinned male craned his neck up to return the stare, shaking his head at Kagami's jab before giving him the notion to continue to walk.

"What you said earlier…" Kuroko words trailed off as he turned his head back to their direction of to open court in front of them. "I believe that Aomine-kun will come around."

"You think so?" Kagami sneered lightly, almost forgetting that Aomine and Kuroko once shared the same bond as he does now with him. He shot his eyes down at Kuroko quickly and found a mere, but sincere smile briefly on the phantom player's face.

"I really believe so."

The two turned heel toward the double doors to leave, when Kuroko's cerulean eyes beamed past the glass windows of the gymnasium double doors. Already too far ahead for any sign of acknowledgement was the back of the fairly tanned man in which the pair were just talking about. Kuroko eyes settled once more, seemingly recalling almost all of their encounters together whether pleasant or bad in one flash in his mind before catching himself with that soft smile once more. The honest smile that his former light hasn't forgotten.

* * *

 **Note** : Thank you all for taking the time to give this a read! I'd definitely appreciate any type of feedback you may have for me!


	2. Never Stops Raining

**The Color of Rain**

 **Disclaimers** : I do not own any piece of work deriving from the manga or anime adaptations of Kuroko no Basuke.

 **Never Stops Raining**

The flickering of the lamp post outside was no stranger to Aomine Daiki. The man was leaned back toward the redwood chair of the kitchen table as his navy eyes nonchalantly watched the post tick on and off from inside his home. Though winning the practice game against his rival team of Seirin, this victory did not give the tanned man one bit of satisfaction. After each game, he would return home and follow the rituals of eating his dinner, taking a shower, then end his nights within the comforts of his room. Lately, he's had sleepless nights and this seemed to be no different than the previous ones, but this night had him feeling more restless than previous evenings.

Aomine excused himself from the empty kitchen and discarded the dishes into the sink. Even facing behind the kitchen window, he could see the illuminating flickers of the lamp post continuing to flare on and off over his shadow. His already tense eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, and he idly made his way over to the window and abruptly drew the blinds to a close before proceeding to the restroom.

As Aomine stood in front of the bathroom mirror after his shower, he took notice of his physical changes over the years. He displayed his hair in the same fashion; short but unkempt length of blue. His facial features seem to sharpen from his previous years, especially toward his eyes to where the contour of his brows gave him a permanent stern expression. Even his physique seemed broader than before. With his dark skin tone, one could trace the outline of almost every muscle and definition of his figure. To his dismay of growth, he also found himself developing traces of facial hair toward his chin to which he constantly shaves off the moment it's caught in his line of sight every other morning. Aomine grimaced on that last thought as he checked for signs of stubble on his chin before heading to his room.

After throwing on a fitted black long sleeve over his torso, he laid on his bed with his eyes fixed on the alabaster ceiling above. _If he thinks I changed for the better, I can't be that bad, right?_ Aomine sourly clicked his tongue right after the thought. Why was he letting Kuroko get him so worked up? What exactly was he frustrated about anyway? Aomine roughly turned over to his side, propping his elbow underneath his cheek as his hand slowly shook off the last droplets of shower water from his short mane. His eyes narrowed into closure and he slowly exhaled his breath, as he felt no indication of slumber hitting him any time soon.

 _Inside the basketball court of T_ _ōō_ _Academy, a rather disgruntled teen slammed their body down on the bench with sheer frustration as the team's afternoon practice was coming to a close. Aomine Daiki, the bronzed toned teen rested a towel over his head, and he stared with narrow eyes on the grounds of the wooden floorboards beneath him. Slowly, he could feel the droplets of sweat fall from the sharp features of his chin down to the ground with every breath exhaled. Within his line of vision, the feet of his childhood friend Momoi, came to a close right beside him, but his head remained hung over as he didn't bother to acknowledge her presence._

' _I understand where you're coming from, Aomine-kun-"_

' _Don't give me that shit, Satsuki.' The ace scoffed, his lips almost twisting into a snarl. After a brief moment of silence, Aomine inhaled a large sum of air before exhaling out. He refrained from letting his irritation get the best of him when around her. Aomine lips parted, his voice lower than usual as he spoke, 'Have you ever caught others staring at you—and not out of admiration, but out of fear?' He didn't expect her to answer for the sole reason that he knew that she never bore the distance that Aomine had projected unto others in the past._

 _His thought was right, she had no answer._

 _Aomine could see her feet shuffle slightly in response to that. 'They're scared of me. All of them are. I know you can tell just by looking on how hesitant they are passing to me.' He felt a light creak of the bench give out a small squeak as Momoi sat beside him, her hands cupping her knees lightly. Aomine continued with a dishearten snort, 'I can't really blame them though. Especially what I put that loud mouth captain through in our last year. But I actually come to practice now, I actually put in effort working with them. No matter how much I commit, these passes, these plays… they feel off, and it pisses me off that there's nothing that can shake it away.'_

 _His hands were gripped shut in anger, the tense motion causing the flexing of his muscles and ligaments. His attention was fixed outside of the wooden floors his eyes were met with, and for just a brief moment, he envisioned a familiar vacant faced partner from long ago. In that same moment, he cleared the azure haired boy out of his mind, and continued, 'There are things I threw away years ago that I'm trying to pick up again, and I don't need anyone to question the changes in my basketball.'_

 _Momoi lifted one hand off her knee to push her long pink strands of hair behind her line of sight. She's always been patient with her childhood friend, especially with his recent internal struggle after the first years Winter Cup that took place last year. She smiled, glad that Aomine was welcoming her into his thoughts—even if they were troubling. Although her smile was shown warmly, her orbs displayed a speck of anguish as she turned her head to face Aomine, studying the patterns of his light pants from after the mini game just played. She knew absolutely well what he meant by his last sentence and she immediately thought of the phantom player._

' _Looks like you hit a wall, and it's nothing to beat yourself up over. I know the circumstances different, but I've been in that situation a couple times before.' Her voice was very tranquil unlike the usual ecstatic tone that she's always presented. Momoi reached out her hand to slowly remove the towel from her navy haired friend's head in turn, directing his dark azure eyes over to her from his peripheral vision._

 _Her smile lost the hint of sadness, finally understanding his internal struggle, and she added in a velvet voice, 'You should try talking to the one's you've hurt in the past. I think that'll lighten all the weight you're carrying over your shoulders.' Aomine finally turned his head slightly to face her, his orbs losing the bitter undertones held within. His hands finally relaxed, and he laxly propped them over his knees. 'Testu-kun is a forgiving person, Dai-chan. You out of all people should know that.'_

 _Aomine turned away from his companion, using one hand to brush through his damp hair to hide the shock filled emotion within his irises. 'What makes you think this is about Tetsu?' A trace of a small laugh was shown in his question as he stood up, slinging the towel over his shoulder as he started off to the locker rooms. 'I'll find my answer in my own way.'_

 _Aomine let out a low chuckle, still sensing her smile from behind. It's funny how much a person can know exactly what you're thinking._

On and off, the flicker of the lamp post outside continued to make itself known to those in the surrounding area. Aomine opened his eyes, still not finding any sign of sleep ready to take him over. He reached for his phone, reading the time before sitting up. It was time that he finally ventured off to make amends.

With a sigh, he stood up, removing the sweats he was wearing in exchange for dark denim jeans and slipping on socks shortly after. He slowly made his way throughout clutter of clothes in his room and found a pair of black and heather gray Air Jordan mids. After securing the shoes over his feet, he threw on an olive parka and proceeded out of his room and out of the comforts of his home. Welcoming the bronzed man outside was the brisk wind of cold air, and he clicked his tongue with discontent.

Passing two blocks ahead, Aomine's dark orbs shot up to the outline of the night sky for a brief moment. The multitude of clouds slowly casted over the moon and seemed to remain at a standstill in the air. A scoff resounded from the already irritated tanned man, now quickening his pace. It looked as if it was about to rain.

* * *

The heavy droplets of rain water seemed to continue to no end outside. Short, irregular whines accompanied the sounds of the rainfall, as a large husky propped their front paws over the ledge of the window where the curtains blew softly over the dog. "Nigou, please go over to your bed." The soft monotonous voice of Kuroko Tetsuya requested, tearing his oval cerulean eyes off the pages of the book at hand and over to his left hand side where the mascot of Seirin was located. With a notion of his head, Kuroko's companion retracted his paws off the windowsill and returned to the shadow's room to lay in a firm dog bed next to Kuroko's own.

Sitting up against the armrest of the living room's couch, Kuroko placed his book mark over the unfinished page read and closed the cover of the worn book. He focused his attention on the outskirts of the outside environment and asked himself how long it's been raining like this. Shifting his legs on the couch, he felt a sharp pain surge through his right ankle, directing his attention back to the injury he obtained earlier this afternoon. Through the florescent light of the moon, he could trace the difference in width of both ankles through the lenses of his reading glasses. His expression glowered in slight, and with cautious effort, he veered his legs off the couch and hoisted himself off the comforts of the couch.

The practice game had absolutely left the azure haired boy with questions. All of those questions revolving around his former light. He could still picture the remorseful royal blue eyes of Aomine burning into his own during the match. Not once during their time together in Teikō did he ever see such an expression on the taller man's face. His attention was brought back to present time as he felt the ache of his ankle rising through his body from standing.

All around the dark room, he could point out the boxes huddled toward the corner of his room. Kuroko's frown stayed in place, realizing that soon he was to start packing his belongings for when he would leave for college he got accepted into. With this sprain, he couldn't do much for now. His face now shifted back to his usual vacant demeanor now facing another task at hand.

 _Where did I leave the tape?_ He carefully made his way over to the closest wall and propped his left hand over the cold surface and used it to make his way to the dining room table where he last placed them. Laid out on top of the mahogany table was the pre wrap as well as athletic tape that Kagami had gotten for him before seeing him off after the match. Grabbing both items in his right hand, he started back to the couch again. The sheer curtains of the windowsill began to dance more rapidly to the wind followed by heavier raindrops hitting the windowsill. Kuroko hobbled over to the window with his pale arm reaching over to the latch of the window to close—

Three abrupt knocks on the front door resonated over the rain and wind, causing the phantom player to jolt in surprise. Nigou bolted out of Kuroko's room barking over all the heavy rainfall just outside. Kuroko dropped his hand, turning his body to the large door behind him in speculation. His family was out for winter vacation for another week, so that was out of the question. The time read past nine on the overhead clock next to the main door.

A minute passed when three more knocks were heard. Nigou continued with his bellow of barks at the door, and Kuroko lightly placed his hand over him with ease, ceasing his dog's anxiety. Careful to not project any tension on his right foot, Kuroko leaned the left side of his body to the corner of the door before opening it slowly, looking up at a rather tall figure above hovering inches away toward his own stature.

"Aomine-kun…" Kuroko uttered in surprise, the expression clearly shone in his face as he released the doorknob unconsciously. Just above, he saw a pair of stern eyes staring down at his own, with rain droplets falling from the ends of his former light's short hair. The taller of the two shifted uncomfortably in place, soaked beyond belief.

"It's raining, Tetsu." Aomine bluntly replied, his voice low. Kuroko immediately snapped himself out of his shock and opened the door fully to let him proceed inside.

"I'm sorry." The shorter male stated, now shutting the door inside. As Kuroko immediately staggered over to the pantry to retrieve a towel, Aomine eyed the dark room, outlining the environment he was now surrounded by. Though it's been years since he's stepped into the soft spoken young man's home, the layout was just the same. The kitchen lights flashed on, turning Aomine's attention to his side as Kuroko came back with a towel for him. "You must be cold, would you like some tea?"

Well, hell yeah he was freezing. Aomine dismissed his snide internal comment and accepted the towel, now starting to ruffle it through his head first. "Yeah, that's fine." He answered, setting down the towel on the marble kitchen countertop. The navy haired man removed his parka, hanging it over one of the chairs lining up against the countertop. With a brief nod, Kuroko carefully made his way inside the kitchen rummaging through the cupboards to retrieve a saucepan to fill with water. He placed the pan over the stove, turning the switch to spark the flames underneath the pan. As his attention was directed toward getting the other ingredients, Aomine studied Kuroko with softening eyes.

The shorter male has grown by an inch or two now that he actually has the time to look at him. His height was almost enough for him to have his chin reach above Aomine's broad shoulders. His unruly azure hair was kept the same length but also in turn had Kuroko remove unwanted strands behind his ear. Doing this cause Aomine to trace the outline of his sharp features from his chin to his adam's apple. The taller of the two also wondered when he started wearing glasses. Continuing below the nape of his neck, Kuroko wore a horizontal black and white striped long sleeve with the collar too wide for his own size. One side hung off loosely exposing the small curve of his trapezius muscle. So not only has he grown in height but also by mass as well. Aomine smirked, expecting nothing less from someone who always gave one-hundred and ten percent of their being toward basketball. All these changes from Kuroko's being sent chills down the indigo hair man's spine. He felt something toward the pit of his stomach, a feeling that was greater than fondness… was it attraction?

Nudging the leg of Aomine Daiki was Nigou, waging his tail as he stared up at the tall man with beaming oval eyes. Aomine was glad to have had his attention away from whatever thoughts that could've arose next just looking at his old shadow. He looked down at the dog, amazed by the difference in size he was now and he bent over at the knees, caressing the soft mane of the canine with his comically large hand. Nigou willfully accepted the gesture, now sitting upright with his eyes closed.

After a couple moments, Aomine could see the shift of Kuroko's khaki pants as his feet faced his line of direction from the kitchen floor. The dark skinned individual looked up to see the subtle smile of his former shadow staring at his interaction with Nigou. For a brief moment, heat flared up toward Aomine's face in slight embarrassment and he shot up, diving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"We could go in the living room." Kuroko invited softly, with two mugs in hand. Aomine nodded and turned toward the direction of the living room, however, he didn't hear the footsteps of the other male following suit. Turning around, he caught the light haired shadow staring down at his feet. Aomine's eyes followed, noticing his former partner's weight shifting to the left side of his frame. His eyes darkened, lips twitching in annoyance more so about himself for what he caused earlier today, and he removed his hands from his pockets to gently grab the mugs from Kuroko's hands.

"If you needed me to get them, just say so." Aomine grimaced lightly, shifting his large frame to the side of the kitchen to allow Kuroko to exit first. The phantom player looked up toward his dark eyes, and nodded, now placing one hand over the countertop to carefully make his way to the couch. Aomine watched from behind as the former shadow grabbed the athletic tape along with him. A sense of guilt was conveyed through his navy orbs that he was glad Kuroko couldn't see, and with that he now followed the azure haired young man to the living room.

Kuroko slowly sat down, shifting his upper body toward the armrest of the couch before hoisting up his legs to follow. Aomine waited patiently, his lips pressed into a firm line. Kuroko exhaled gently, resting both hands on his lap. Though working with a simple sprain, handling it on one's own could still be exhausting. "Here." Aomine mumbled, handing the warm cup over to Kuroko who gingerly grasped it with both hands.

Aomine sat down on the other side of the couch, leaning over to prop one elbow over his knee as he stared down at the cup within the grasp of his other hand. Sprinkles of cinnamon were swirled into the beige liquid, and Aomine took in the aroma with a slow inhale of his nostrils. _Vanilla… that's not surprising._ Taking a sip of the vanilla chai tea, the warmth seemed to immediately settle Aomine's freezing exterior.

Now it was Kuroko who was observing his old friend, his mind filled with more questions than ever before. The moonlight showed Aomine's profile clearly, and the light haired male immediately took notice on how light the taller man's facial features were compared to his hardened expression from a couple years before. Kuroko paused at that thought, his lips pursed with uncertainty. Just when was their last interaction together? Besides their basketball encounters. Besides their chances of meeting through Momoi. Kuroko took in a small amount of tea before coming to the realization that it was about this time frame in the cold winter two years ago where they've spoken. He froze, fixing his eyes on Aomine through his reading glasses. Though it was two years ago, Kuroko could recall the memory vividly from every word spoken, to the crease of every expression exchanged.

 _The view of the Tokyo Metropolitan gymnasium always looked best at night._

 _The bustling audience from earlier in the afternoon have finally cleared out, leaving the luminous lights of the auditorium to gleam over the grounds of the complex. Exiting the area was the power duos of Seirin, ready to celebrate their victory of securing their win against Rakuzan. With long strides ahead of the smaller male, Kagami dug his hands into the pockets of his team jacket and exhaled into the open cool breeze, watching his breath leave his body into the open night sky._

 _As exhausted as the crimson haired teen was, he couldn't shake the grin plastered over his face. Their goal of being the best in Japan has finally been made into a reality, and he couldn't shake off the fire burning within his heart, nor did he want to. Without looking back at his companion, Kagami waved one hand over his shoulder, ushering the shadow to follow suit. 'Let's hurry it up, Kuroko. Everyone is already waiting on the bus.'_

 _Kuroko was glad that Kagami's back was turned, for the usual expressionless male also couldn't clear the delighted look of his eyes and smile. This wasn't a bad notion, but for being known as the shadow player, he'd rather keep to himself just as he always had. As content as the shorter male was, he failed to notice the squirming of his gym bag and a sudden jolt sent his bag falling over his shoulder and drop with a piercing thud unto the landscape._

 _The pair turned to face the ground, and shuffling out of the bag was Nigou, bolting off into the field just to the side of the walkway, clear out of sight. Kuroko sighed, bending down to pick up his belongings. This couldn't be helped though, he was sure that his pet needed a release after being inside the gym for a long period of time. Kagami groaned, thicker traces of carbon dioxide escaping into the crisp wind. Kagami turned heel, continuing his pace. 'I'm going to let the coach know it'll be another couple more minutes. Just hurry it up!'_

' _I'll be there shortly.' Confirmed the fair skinned male, watching now as Kagami's figure disappeared with a left turn heading to the bus ramps of the complex. The phantom player let Nigou have his way for a bit longer, hearing the trots of the young canine over the field across from him. Kuroko's eyes darted up to the night sky. The fluorescent lights of the complex dimmed out the stars above, showing the cobalt orbs of Kuroko's each twinkle amongst the cloudless sky.._

 _Unexpectedly, an arm draped alongside of the left shoulder of Kuroko's, the reach long enough to latch their hand unto the azure haired male's right shoulder. With a shudder, the wide oval eyes began to turn along with the crane of his neck, only to be stopped by the individual drawing their body closer to him and preventing Kuroko from making the turn. 'Just stay how you are right now.' The voice was demanding, but at the same time, low and gentle._

 _And also very close to his ear._

 _Kuroko perceived the owner of that all too familiar voice and shifted his eyes below, seeing a black leather jacket over his collarbone with a bronzed hand lightly securing his shoulder. Something about his voice was different though. Though it was only a simple request, Kuroko sensed a pleading tone to it. 'All those things that I've put you through back then…' the taller male started again, Kuroko feeling the chin of the other resting over his shoulder, almost burying their face within his jacket. 'All of those humiliating words I've ever said to you that you never deserved. I can't believe how long it's taken me to wake up from what I've been doing wrong this entire time.' The end of his sentence was faintly hoarse, his breathing running inconsistent against Kuroko's shoulder._

 _Slowly, Kuroko lifted his right hand to place over the tanned one over his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. His cobalt eyes lowered to the large hand as it gave a slight shudder underneath the light touch. Many thoughts and emotions of their past surfaced at once, and not knowing how to begin, Kuroko softly whispered, 'Aomine-kun, everything that's happened before—'_

' _I just wanted to thank you, Testu.' Indeed the old light was always good at cutting others off, and he retracted his arm slowly to break his warmth away from his old friend. 'I've got to get going.' He twisted around almost quickly enough to dodge Kuroko's turn of his head._

 _Just almost._

 _With cerulean eyes wide as can be, the shadow player caught tears escaping from the corners of Aomine's royal blue eyes. Kuroko froze in place. He wanted to reach out to stop him. He wanted to call out to him to talk more, to talk like they used to. But the muted teen seemed at a loss, as Aomine continued to make his exit. 'Tetsu, just know that I'm proud of you.'_

 _Kuroko finally shook off his immobilization and opened his mouth to speak when he felt the paws of Nigou jump over his shins. Kuroko fixed his eyes below, picking up his dog tenderly and shot back up at Aomine's figure shrinking into the night and eventually, out of his line of sight._

"Oi, Tetsu. Did you hear me?" Aomine's curt tone tore the shorter male out of his trance, and he blinked, fixing his eyes on his guest. Aomine's brow arched up, noting that Kuroko's blank expression showed that his mind was elsewhere. "I asked if you were done with your cup."

Kuroko looked down at his tea noting that he was only one fourth through with it, but he nodded his head, handing the mug over to Aomine. The tanned man frowned at how much of it was left, and he stood up, pacing back to the kitchen to return the mugs to the sink while drinking the rest of Kuroko's unfinished cup. "Fuck, Tetsu. Why make so much tea when you can't even finish your own?" A small chuckle escaped Kuroko's lips as he heard Aomine's antics from the kitchen.

Removing his reading glasses, Kuroko placed them over the windowsill behind him and watched as Nigou sniffed them curiously before returning to the shadow's room to slumber. The kitchen lights were clicked off, and Aomine returned to the couch, making sure that there was enough distance for his large frame to not touch Kuroko's swollen ankle.

The silence was uncomfortable.

At least it was uncomfortable for Aomine Daiki. Barely any words have been exchanged since his arrival, and though he's thought out how to map out each word to say to his former companion, he couldn't find timing to surface his story. He leaned back toward the coach with one arm over the armrest of the chair. He eyed the boxes around Kuroko's door and to his dismay, figured he was going away for collage. He wanted to ask Kuroko which school he was looking into. _It's not like I can ask him that._ What was he hoping for? For them to end up going to the same college and play basketball like nothing has happened?

Shifting his head slightly toward the shorter male, he caught the pair of cobalt orbs boring into his own. Just how long has he been looking at him for? "It's been a couple years since you've been over." Kuroko began, his face unchanged even in the dim lighting of the moon hitting his stature from behind. The taller male searched his face for signs of resentment, letting Kuroko's statement end with no reply.

Kuroko Tetsuya was now the one who felt a tad bit flustered toward his looming gaze. The cobalt eyed young man blinked, now shifting his eyes down below the couch to gather the athletic tape while tenderly dragging his knee up to his chest to start wrapping his ankle. He lifted the base of his foot and started wrapping over his foot. "Although I'm happy you came to visit, why are you here?" Aomine let out a small exhale of a chuckle, internally sneering on how his expression never matched the said mood he was in. He leered over the ruffled haired shadow's work and cringed at the sight of his wrapping.

"You're doing it wrong, baka." Aomine flatly replied, avoiding the question at hand. Kuroko stopped, looking up at Aomine questionably. The taller of the two blew out an exhale, sitting up from his lax position. The curious expression Kuroko held sent heat to Aomine's face in which he as glad for the night sky to conceal. Aomine rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, exposing the detail of his lean forearms and held his hand out to take in the tape. "Just let me do it for you." Kuroko nodded, handing the tape over to him and laid his foot out on the couch once more.

Aomine shifted his body to face Kuroko, and he carefully lifted the other's foot to lay over his lap. Kuroko attentively observed his work on the base of his foot, noticing how gentle Aomine was with him despite the strict expression he was wearing over his face. Without looking up at him Aomine began in a murmer, "I'm used to taping up the other players on the team, so this is a breeze for me. You should've at least picked it up as well."

Kuroko relaxed his shoulders, internally joyous on how the former light has made small efforts such as this to work together with his respective team. "Our old coach used to be the one to assist with this. She taught Kagami-kun before leaving, so I didn't worry about it too much back then." Aomine's lips twitched at the thought of that crimson loud mouth mummifying the poor shadow's leg.

Aomine lightly pushed Kuroko's pant leg up, exposing the porcelain skin of his ankle. Even with the moon's lighting, he could clearly see the inflammation as it puffed red. Guilt swarmed Aomine's features from his eyes to the curve of his lips as he cloaked the pre wrap around the injury. He didn't care if Kuroko noticed.

"I know it wasn't intentional, Aomine-kun." The velvet voice of the phantom player shot Aomine's eyes forward to see him, stopping what he was doing. The cold hands of Aomine's still lingered over Kuroko's ankle, and the smaller male shuddered slightly at the touch of his fingertips. "I could see that it was bothering you. But something also tells me that there is more to it than that." The statement was a matter of fact as Kuroko's steady eyes kept its glare over the ace's own.

Turning his attention back to the injury, Aomine blew out a sigh. This was one of relief that only he could tell. His lips opened partially, arranging the words in his mind to say to Kuroko, but he digressed. Placing the pre wrap on the floor, he grabbed the tape next, rolling a strip over the base of his foot and a strip over his ankle to secure the pre wrap from moving. "For years there's been this strange void inside that I can't get rid of." Aomine started, keeping his focus on the procedure in front of him. For what he was about to say, he didn't even want to see what kind of face Kuroko would be making then. "This feeling always comes back around when I see you."

Though his wording was vague, Kuroko placed his arms over his lap, waiting for him to continue. His oval orbs captured the deep crease of Aomine's brows, noting that he was searching for how to explain this clearly.

"There was no trust in Tōō. After the first year, no matter how many times I've made it practice each day, no matter how I've much I've tried to coordinate with the team, no matter how many times I've stayed behind to practice with them, each one of them were so hesitant around me. Talk of me spread out quick to the new members once they've joined, and I can't blame them for what I've done in the past." Aomine's voice spat a hint of venom toward his frustration. The azure haired man remained silent, watching Aomine gracefully wrapping the base of his foot, careful not to make it too tight. "But the desire to play basketball is still there, that hasn't changed. The want to work together with the other players was shown. Now finally on my last year I was starting to see progression with our team play. And then I see you and Bakagami…" His voice trailed off now, cutting the tape around his foot with his hands, and now starting to tape around the top of his ankle and below.

Kuroko's eyes didn't falter from his gaze at Aomine. He could feel his hands stiffen over his lap, imploring his old light to continue. Aomine tore off the remaining part of the wrap, now facing his navy orbs into Kuroko's with undivided attention. "The way you two work together annoy the shit out of me. It's all too familiar, like I should still be the one receiving those passes, not him."

Aomine realized just how selfish that last portion sounded, especially since he was the one who encased this barrier between himself and Kuroko. As brash as the sentence slipped his tongue, it was better to be honest when it came to speaking with Tetsu.

"You've always been too impatient, Aomine-kun. That definitely hasn't changed." Kuroko firmly replied, throwing the other male slightly off with a raise of one eyebrow. "I can't say that you need to give them time due to the few games we have left, but even from the practice game I've noticed that they've grown comfortable with your synchronization with them. Sometimes it's never going to be at one hundred percent." Aomine scoffed at his reply. Hunching his shoulders slightly, he propped his elbow over his lap with his chin resting over a fist. Nonchalantly, he turned his gaze toward the night behind the dancing curtains with tight knitted brows.

That wasn't true.

Especially with Kagami and Kuroko's unison on the court. Every play executed seem to always glide through their opponents. Every firm touch of the ball had no slip of the finger, or chance of making a fumble. The direction, the timing, and the delivery were always one hundred percent with those two playing.

All of this was too familiar.

This was what Aomine and his Tetsu had years ago. But to the tanned man's dismay, he doesn't know if those plays could ever resurface again. From the pit of his stomach, he was fearful that he won't be able to mend what he's thrown away.

"They're not like you, Tetsu." Aomine finally responded, his voice was a soft as a murmur but was enough for Kuroko to hear over the rainfall. "None of them understood like you did. There was trust when it came to our play back in Teikō, and now I'm stuck in this damn rut and don't know how to get up from it." He kept his eyes locked unto the curtains flowing through the windowsill, feeling the shock that Kuroko emitted through his body language.

Damn, why did the taller male wait until _years_ later to finally get this off his chest? But if he didn't tell him now, he was sure he would never get through to him. There was a part of him that also wondered what the point was bringing this up now, after all-

"You were the one who tossed me aside, Aomine-kun." Kuroko's soft voice held no malice to it, but the words stung the other as if he was resentful. Aomine's eyes narrowed, with his lips pressed in a firm line. "Though I don't feel any bitterness to it, I believe everything would've been different it wasn't for your change." Those words cut Aomine deep. Could Tetsu word it a bit better without sounding so harsh? "But… even after those changes, you still managed to find your basketball. We still found a way to play together again."

Aomine recalled the first basketball reunion with the Generation of Miracles together for the shadow's birthday. The taller of the two was thankful for the other's company for even their brief conversations were unwieldy. Their play on the court was not any better. Yes, there were plays that went smoothly, but Aomine felt no substance to them. There were moments where his large hands fidgeted catching the ball, or seconds of delay were wasted where he had to readjust the ball's positioning to continue the finishing move. At that point, he wondered if there was more to this unexplained tension than just being rusty with Kuroko.

He also recalled the legendary street ball match between the Vorpal Swords and Jabberwock within their second year. The light and dark duo of Seirin were proclaimed flawless as usual. Even the crowd placed them on the limelight of the court of being the best players out of the whole Generation of Miracles. The interacting plays between Aomine and Kuroko were at just fair at best, and this didn't settle too well with the navy haired man. By then, he was convinced that there was this unmistakable void every time he's crossed paths with his old shadow.

"Hey Tetsu," Aomine began, now shifting his orbs back to meet with the light cerulean eyes of Kuroko's. "Those past games we've played together… our play didn't feel the same as they were back then in Teikō. I know you could feel it too." His voice was low and steady, as he settled his hand back down to the tape and straightened his posture. Kuroko knew he was correct but chose not to say a word, so he clasped his cold hands together on his lap, finding some inch of warmth to hold together within. Aomine blinked, his lips now shifting toward the corner of his mouth as if he was flustered. He turned back down toward Kuroko's leg, now finishing up the wrapping. "The distance I placed in between us wasn't because of resentment, so don't get that idea. In truth, I've thought about you many times in the past."

 _This is embarrassing…_

Aomine tried to ignore the shift in Kuroko's posture and started a figure eight taping method for the finishing touches around the front of the fair skinned male's leg. Through his peripheral vision, he saw Kuroko's subtle lips part slightly, his shoulders faintly perked up in surprise. _What the hell… I've got to finish what I started, I guess._ "After our first game against each other, it pissed me off to no end hearing one of our benchwarmers bad mouth you. They thought you were worthless, and I almost went to swing on the guy. People who've never seen you on the court shouldn't be the ones to talk." Aomine began to smooth out the various linings of tape over Kuroko's foot and ankle with his long fingertips, making the smaller male shudder slightly.

All of this was coming out like word vomit.

But Aomine continued, knowing this made perfectly sense to himself, and was unsure if the other had understood. He released Kuroko's foot with a light nod of indication that he was finished, and he continued his thought, his gaze now piercing through Kuroko's own. "And the match when that bastard Hanamiya was taunting you, I would've lost it if he laid even a single finger on you. Even after that…" Aomine's hands clenched into a fist, and his stare lingered down to his tensed hands. "When I saw you busted up on the ground by Gold, I wanted to beat the shit out of him. Even if I knew I was outnumbered, seeing the way he grabbed you like a ragdoll was the last straw. But more than anything…" He trailed off leaving his voice, sucking in a large breath before looking back up at Kuroko releasing the tension of his hands.

Aomine's navy irises danced with regret; the eyes that Kuroko have caught all day during their practice match. His face softened, unwinding the creases of his tensed brows, and Aomine Daiki's lips curled into a mournful smile. "I wanted to be the one to pick you up from the ground on that night, and I wanted to be the one to help you up today as well. I wanted for you to look at me like the light I used to be. But for some reason, I couldn't do it. Just like back then, I couldn't bring myself to break down this wall." In that moment, he knew he'd abandoned his stern demeanor. As long it was just Tetsu there, he didn't care if he let his guard drop.

Kuroko's lips still fell open, his monotonous features revealing one emotion after another with Aomine Daiki. His voice seemed to be misplaced, as now he was finding the right words to respond with.

"Aomine-kun…" Kuroko stuttered, still brainstorming with a twitch of discontent to his lips. "I'm sorry, but I'm still trying to understand what you're saying…"

"Are you that dense, Tetsu?" Aomine snorted, shaking his head lightly on how oblivious the azure haired male seemed to be at times. "Even though you couldn't see it, what I'm trying to say is that I've cared about you all this time." Aomine relaxed his frame, now understanding what Momoi had said before about having this weight lifted off his shoulders.

Kuroko froze, transcribing all the words that his old light has just told him at this moment. He know his face gave away all the surprise, and it always took a great deal for someone to make him show a hint of emotion. But with Aomine Daiki, it was always easy for the tanned man to shape his vacant features into showing some hint of emotion.

Now Kuroko Tetsuya was starting to understand.

He understood the guilt enveloping Aomine, from the day in middle school where he abandoned his shadow, to the tears escaping his eyes after the final Winter Cup match against Rakuzan. All of Aomine's hesitation around the phantom player due to the blame he projected unto himself finally surfaced. Within a few more seconds of registering the new found thought, Kuroko's eyes were at rest once more.

"Aomine-kun, you shouldn't blame yourself for everything that's happened. If you were avoiding me because you thought I resented you, then you're wrong." Kuroko's velvet voice answered, eyes unwavering to the navy eyed individual. "Your troubled eyes always made me think about you in the back of my mind. Now I believe I finally understand what you've felt up until now. But again, even after your change, you've managed to find your way back to finding your love for basketball, and that's what makes me happy. I'm happy you're not alone anymore."

Aomine's forlorn smile disappeared, his mouth falling open slightly at the corners or his lips. He searched for resolve in Tetsu's eyes. Was it that easy for the shadow to just forget all of the pain he instilled unto him? Kuroko's eyes fluttered, his stomach churning at the gaze Aomine bore into him. Usually it was very easy for the oval eyed male to keep his eyes at his old companion before him, but this time it feels different. Almost as if this feeling was…

The curtains danced wildly right behind Kuroko's frame and a gust of wind blew the rainfall inside the area of his home. Shuddering at the icy droplets hitting his back, he turned slowly withdrawing his leg from Aomine's lap. Aomine blinked seeing the frail skinned man struggle to reach the windowsill, and he sighed, leaning over him with is long figure to close the window with a securing latch. "Honestly Tetsu, sometimes I don't know how you function by yourself. You always need—"

As soon as he turned head to the side, he realized just how _close_ he was to his old partner.

Aomine froze in place, his shadow casting over the male beneath him. He unconsciously hovered over the light haired male beneath him, his eyes not even close to blinking for a moment. Kuroko slowly withdrew his upper body back from his advances, not getting too far at all when the armrest behind his frame stopped his movement.

Aomine knew he shouldn't be towering over the shorter male, but he couldn't move, more so, he didn't _want_ to move from his position. Slowly, Aomine brought one arm forward, and secured his hand on the armrest inches away from Kuroko's sharp shoulders. Kuroko followed the hand notion with his eyes, studying the muscularity of Aomine's forearm before darting back to the navy eyes before him.

The mysterious aura resonating off of Kuroko's being seemed to ensnare Aomine, and he remained within that position for what seemed like minutes. His indigo eyes leered over Kuroko's own, searching, and even _yearning_ for resolve. He studied the porcelain features of the male underneath him, from the way his cheeks blossomed a slight crimson, to the way his throat fluctuated as he took in an anxious gulp. The emotions from earlier before in the kitchen began to resurface, and this time Aomine didn't attempt to hold himself back.

Kuroko felt immobilized.

Sure they've been close in and out of the basketball courts-but _never_ like this. This time, there was something alluring about his old light that didn't give him the urge to protest. The night light showed Aomine's calm features with precision from his sturdy shoulders, to his chest exposed from his shirt hanging loosely over his frame. From how close they were, Kuroko could see the elevation of his chest with every breath taken by the bronzed man. A part of Kuroko felt an odd lump within the pit of his throat. Just how long has he always felt this strange knot on the inside from being confronted by Aomine?

A large, cold hand cupped the left cheek of Kuroko's softly, snapping the light bluenette out of his thoughts and back to Aomine. His body jolted at the cold touch of his hand meeting his cheek, and he could feel his face burning red. Closing in the distance, Kuroko could smell the sweet hint of vanilla from Aomine's breath lingering over him and he shuddered underneath the taller man, his breath hitching in irregular intervals. As if on its own, Kuroko placed his hand over Aomine's broad chest, feeling the cold residue of the rain water still lingering over his skin. This motion wasn't in protest, and it was beyond him to find an excuse why he was continuing to let Aomine make his advances.

Tracing his thumb over the alabaster cheek of Kuroko's tenderly, Aomine's eyes were half lidded, studying the patterns of his cobalt eyes staring deep into his own until he fully cupped his cheek. And just like that, Aomine closed the last bit of distance of body heat emitting from his old partner as his lips grazed over the fair lips of Kuroko's tenderly. They were soft, and surprisingly warm despite the icy atmosphere that embraced their flesh. Aomine wanted to dive in further; to conceal his lips fully over the light ones of Tetsu to take in its warmth—

A small quiver resided from the other's lips causing Aomine to pause. He now retracted his head back slightly.

 _What the hell am I doing?_

With a low exhale, Aomine withdrew from Kuroko's body heat, and returned to his spot toward the other side of the couch. "Tetsu…" Aomine whispered, turning his head to the side and scratched the back of his short hair with unease. He was afraid to see what face Tetsu was making now. "I should probably get going." Aomine muttered, and he stood up, unrolling the sleeves of his shirt as he made turned to make his way to the kitchen before catching a glimpse of Kuroko's stunned face.

Aomine grabbed his olive parka, his lips turning into a frown on how damp the jacket was. Regardless of that fact, he placed the jacket over his body and turned toward the front door with frustration. Things between them went from bad, to worse, and he couldn't fix the issue at hand this time. Aomine placed his hand over the doorknob to turn it, revealing the heavy rainfall greeting him outside. Aomine's eyes grew dark as he took a step out, his hand searching for the doorknob to close behind him. As if things couldn't get any worse for him.

A small click was heard just beside Aomine, as a black umbrella revealed itself, now hovering over his tall stature. Aomine turned around, seeing Kuroko staring up at him with his usual expressionless face, now accompanied with a blush flushing over his light skin. Aomine's eyebrows rose slightly at Kuroko, who now turned his head to the side, averting his eyes in slight embarrassment as he raised the umbrella higher toward the taller male.

"Know that I care about you too, Ahomine." Kuroko whispered through the raindrops, the tone audible for the ace to hear through the heavy rainfall. Kuroko glanced back up at Aomine, his head still remained at a profile view so Aomine couldn't see the true embarrassment plastered over his face. "Next time you should do this properly." Aomine was taken aback by his broad statement. "You should call me the next time you're coming over, Aomine-kun." Letting the fluster of his subside, Kuroko now faced Aomine completely, smiling softly at the taller male.

Aomine blinked. Kuroko wasn't angry with him at all, and he even said next time, which meant that he would be seeing him soon. Aomine took in the handle of the umbrella gently, faintly crossing fingertips with his old partner before Kuroko released it. Aomine smiled warmly down at the other; his smile just as sincere as they used to be in Teikō middle school. He drew in closer to the smaller male, encircling his free arm around the bluenette's shoulders and rested his chin over his unruly hair. He could feel the intervals of Kuroko's breathing hitting his shoulder, and he gave him a soft squeeze. "I'll see you soon, Tetsu."

Kuroko Tetsuya to his dismay felt his warmth separate as Aomine withdrew himself to turn heel. Just as their last encounter after the first year's Winter Cup, Tetsu couldn't produce any words out of his mouth to call back to him. He watched breathlessly as his old light walked away; Aomine's hand lifting up over his shoulder to wave goodbye.

Securing the door shut behind him, Kuroko leaned against the wooden door, processing everything that has just happened. Unconsciously, Kuroko brought up his fingertips up to his face gingerly, feeling the lingering sensation of Aomine's lips grazing against his own. Kuroko could feel his face flush instantly, chills now encircling his entire body.

 _Just what the hell was that..?_

* * *

 **Note** : There's definitely going to be a continuation of this story, and it'll be at a slow start just because I feel that amends between the two need to be fully made before throwing all the other ideas I had into this. I've envisioned Aomine to be one of those individual's to show a bit of a caring side despite the hard demeanor he always presents to others. I hope their the two personalities seemed on point, and just as always, reviews are always appreciated!


	3. The Road to Reconcile

**The Color of Rain**

 **Disclaimers** : I do not own any piece of work deriving from the manga or anime adaptations of Kuroko no Basuke.

 **The Road to Reconcile**

Rustling trees resounded through the glass windows of Seirin, shifting Kuroko's attention to view the outside of the classroom's glass windows. Cherry blossoms that hung by a thread on the tree branches finally broke off, fluttering into the wind passing Kuroko's line of sight. He propped a fist underneath his chin, ignoring the chatters of his classmates who were anxious about finally finishing their high school career in just a matter of weeks.

Three weeks have passed since his encounter with Aomine within his home. The Winter Cup of their last year had finally drew to a close days ago, and behind the impassive exterior of his being, he couldn't be more pleased with the results.

The final matchup of the Winter Cup was between Seirin and Tōō Academy. The first quarter was spent with Kuroko anxiously being benched due to the recovery of his ankle. Seirin fell short of five points at the end of the quarter. However, once the shadow player was placed in the lineup for the rest of the game, the atmosphere remarkably changed.

The flow of their opponent's play was miraculously different than the practice game held weeks prior to that moment. There was no room for rest, not even during half time break as both teams had to strategize how to gain solid ground over the other.

Unity between both teams had shined over the entire game over the court. A spark emerged from Aomine, one that was greater than his abilities when in touch with The Zone. Throughout the entire game, Kuroko took notice of Aomine and how his presence differed on the court than from weeks before. The full potential of Tōō was finally brought out to the table, and this was very dangerous for Seirin.

All the sweat, tears, and tension were released unto the basketball courts within that final game. The fourth quarter ended with a score of one hundred and five, to one hundred and three in favor of Seirin. This was a night to remember by not only the players, but the entire audience who were lucky enough to witness the game.

Kuroko smiled at his recollection, hoping to remember it this vividly until the end of his days.

He remembered the lineup after the match drew to an end. There was no malice, or no regret shown through the opposing faces of Tōō. He remembered the smile Aomine presented to him; his lips curling into a full grin with teeth exposed. The fist bump of relief they both shared, the gratitude expressed by the navy haired man toward the other—all these thoughts were keepsakes that Kuroko held dear to him inside.

"Oi, Kuroko!" Kagami called out, veering the shadow's attention back to the classroom setting. The crimson haired ace stood over him with a grin spread across his face as he motioned with his shoulder over to the classroom door. "Let's get going, you're free tonight, right?"

Kagami Taiga was just as ambitious as he was within their first year within Seirin, carrying himself with his head held high no matter the task at hand. His features were still just as distinguishable such as his partner's; with his hair worn in a two toned fashion of burgundy but now just a tad bit shorter than his previous years for the sake of deviating from pushing his hair back during basketball. His maroon eyes were naturally sharp and held such determination just as ever before, and the change on hair length in hair now exposed his thick eyebrows even more, therefore making his features bolder than ever. Being a power forward for his team, his body had definitely changed in mass due to the add-on of constant strength and conditioning training after usual practice. His features were slightly broader than before starting from the width of his neck and shoulders all the way down to his calves.

"I'm going home to take Nigou outside, but I'll be free after that." Kuroko stated, now standing up from his chair to exit the classroom with the ace.

Kagami closed the classroom door behind, now turning heel to exit out of the building with Kuroko beside him. "That works out for me then, I wanted to change clothes anyway. When you're done, just meet me at my apartment." He turned toward the windows outside, noting the trees dancing lightly with the wind outside, and he looked down at his opened gakuran with only a white tee shirt underneath and he frowned in dismay knowing that this article of clothing was insufficient for the weather this evening. "It's probably going to get a lot colder later tonight."

Kuroko nodded his head in agreement, now pushing the double doors open to leave the school. Kagami grinned down at is partner, ruffling the shorter male's azure hair rather harshly. "Think of it, soon we'll never have to walk through these halls ever again. It's like finishing a challenge and moving on to the next."

Kuroko narrowed his eyes to a fraction of a millimeter and swatted the taller man's hand away from his head. He's always hated how easy it was for the others to tease him due to his height disadvantage. "The next challenge is seeing if you can even pass the college prep test coming up shortly." Kuroko impassively replied, instantly shutting down Kagami's determined composure.

"I'll show you, baka. We're definitely pulling all-nighters for the next couple of days." Kagami retorted with a snort. He continued down the next couple of blocks with Kuroko, until it was time to turn toward different paths. Kagami raised his brows, with his hands dug into the pockets of his uniform. "Hey Kuroko, you know there are others from another school coming out to meet up with Hyuuga and the others for studying, right?"

Before making his way toward the subway station, Kuroko paused in curiosity, blinking in surprise. "Who might they be?"

Kagami shifted his weight to the side, scoffing at the thought of one of the individuals in mind, but shook it off with a slight smirk. "You'll see soon enough."

* * *

The chimes outside of the café rang continuously, darting peach orbs to look over its direction. Momoi Satsuki enjoyed the simple settings such as this. She watched the orange setting of the sunset shine unto the wavering chimes beyond the outdoors. The calm atmosphere bore Momoi into such a gaze that she didn't realize her companion venture to the other side of the table, sliding the chair over to sit.

"What gives, Satsuki?" Aomine asked curtly, cutting her attention from the view and back to him. He removed his black bomber jacket and placed it over the back of his chair before seating himself. "You called me out here saying it was important."

Satsuki crossed one leg over her thigh, sitting up with a sly grin on her face. On the table were two small cups of expresso, and she pushed on toward her friend before her. "You're going to need this for tonight." She replied with a mischievous tone in which the navy haired young man frowned, already not liking where this was going.

The ace of Tōō watched with one eyebrow raised as Momoi rummaged through her bag sitting on the ground next to her, and with such speed, she slammed three large books down on the middle of the table, her face showing a tender smile, but holding wicked intent to it.

"We'll be studying tonight, Dai-chan." She chimed, spreading out the books in front of her for Aomine to view. He grimaced, now sinking back into the chair slightly. "I knew you wouldn't come if I just texted you about it, so I thought I'd surprise you with the news when you got in!"

She was way too excited for this. Sure, he shouldn't be slacking off for the college exam, especially since his didn't do so well on the mock portion, but it was a Friday night, and more than anything he wanted to just practice some basketball on the courts for the evening. Aomine shook the cup lightly in his hand, watching the black substance swish side to side. He hated expresso. "Well, let's hurry up and get this over with then. All I got to do is work on a couple things from the mock test and I'm good to go, right?"

"A _couple_? You barely got anything right in every subject!" Momoi exclaimed, now turning heads toward their direction. Aomine clicked his tongue, turning his head to the left and right before shaking his free hand toward her direction to ask her to quiet down.

"I'll make sure I pass it, so hurry up and get started." He snarled lightly, taking a sip of the warm beverage he was nursing. Momoi recovered the books back into her bag leaving Aomine perplexed.

"We're waiting on Sakurai-kun, and then we're heading out to meet up with everyone else."

"Ryō? And I thought we were studying here." At his point, Aomine was irritated not having concrete plans established. "Who else is going to be coming along?"

Momoi set her bag down on the ground once more and took her cup in hand. She still wore her smile on her pale lips, but the wicked intent diminished. "Kagamin, and Tetsu-kun are applying to Tokyo University as well."

Aomine's sharp eyes widened in surprise. He was glad Momoi was in the process of taking a swig of the caffeine so he could recover to his firm expression. He chuckled lowly, now gulping the rest of the expresso down before placing the cup down to prop his chin over the palm of his hand.

"This is just too rich." Though his reply was spoken coolly, inside, he was excited that fate was bringing the two old partners together once more.

"Did you go see Tetsu-kun finally?"

Aomine blinked, his attention darting toward the pink haired girl who seemed a bit too curious with her large questioning orbs gauging into his line of sight. "Yeah, we talked."

Momoi relaxed her eyes, relieved that he finally made the choice to see him. "Are things better between the two of you?" She questioned with a smile. "The way you acted toward him within our last game was almost like the old days."

At this, Aomine shifted his eyes down to the empty cup beside him. While tracing the hint of coffee grounds still left within it, he thought back to how close they were that evening. The smell of vanilla from the azure haired male's breath. The way their lips faintly touched one another—"You could say that." Aomine murmured, not wanting to say any more about that evening to her.

Though Kuroko didn't deny Aomine's advances, he didn't speak of the events any further to the light haired male. Starting over was Aomine's priority, and if he felt the same feelings as that intimate moment shared together in the future, then he would then pursue it.

Right now, there was much more he wanted to talk with his old partner about. Through text, it was asking how he was fairing, and sending him links on how to properly tape up an ankle injury. In person, it was congratulating him on Seirin's recent win despite biting back the defeat felt on the inside. Now tonight… he wish he would've seen this coming to better prepare himself.

"Momoi-san, Aomine-san." Sakurai's subtle voice called out approaching the two of them. Both turned heads to face the timid young man who had too much on his plate to carry with notebooks and study planners barely secured in both arms. "I didn't know which ones to bring with me since I took so many notes, so I just brought all of them." Aomine pushed himself out of his seat and secured his bomber jacket over his heather grey long sleeve. He held out one hand to help out his classmate to which Sakurai gratefully accepted.

Momoi dug through the pocket of her sweater and removed a pair of keys and flashed the two a grin. "You two can ride with me over to Kagamin's. This will be the first time driving around town!" As ecstatic as she was, she failed to notice the looming faces of both males as they slowly retracted back from her.

"What's a graduation present if you didn't even graduate yet? Plus, I'd rather live. I'll take my chances going on the subway." Aomine sneered, picking his ear with his free hand at the same moment Momoi countered with a pout.

"Ahomine! Walking in this weather and wasting more time to catch a subway? Just come on!" Momoi huffed, securing the large back over her shoulder.

Aomine began to make toward the exit of the café with a yawn trailing past the two. "Let's just do the damn thing so I can go home and sleep at a decent hour." Though his comment came off as a retort, his excitement inwardly rose in anticipation to see Tetsu again.

* * *

Loud yelling was echoed throughout the plaster walls of the apartment complex. Those who were unfortunate to walk by the door only quickened their pace, dreading that whoever was torturing the poor soul would not make their way outside on a rampage.

Inside, Kagami soothed his back tenderly with his hand, feeling the sharp pain of the slaps just inflicted moments ago. "Damn it! It's been awhile since we've seen you, can you lighten up a bit?" He seethed through his teeth, staring down at Aida Riko, Seirin's former coach, who still seemed to act as one from time to time.

"As happy as I am for winning your last Winter Cup match, this doesn't mean you should compromise your education!" She fumed with one hand over her hip. With her hair now slightly below her shoulders, she flipped her hair back in annoyance as her eyes loomed over Kagami. "If your prep exam results were just as good as Kuroko-kun's…" Her voice trailed off, darting her eyes left and right. "Actually, where did he go?"

"I'm right here, as I've been this entire time."

With wide eyes, Aida turned to her left, meeting with vacant cerulean orbs and instantly shrieked, almost tripping over her own two feet when a lengthy brown haired male caught her fall effortlessly. Aida looked up, her eyes meeting brown eyes with a pair of glass frames over their sun kissed skin. "You think after years of knowing him, you'd detect a _little_ bit of his presence." Hyuuga chuckled with a smile.

With a slight blush, she immediately straightened herself up once more, adjusting her maroon cardigan she wore. "Thank you, Junpei." She acknowledged softly, fixing her hair before turning back to Kuroko. "And _you_!" She started, going from zero to sixty in just seconds that even Hyuuga shrank back from the two. "Don't go scaring me every time I see you! Geez, I didn't get out of work early to have a heart attack."

"Thank you for coming to assist us." Kuroko replied, his poker face not fazed by her strong personality… at least not yet. At this, her body language softened, and she shook her head with a small laugh before returning to her bag beside Hyuuga's feet. She could never stay upset with her old classmates for too long.

"Well let's head over to the table so we can set up everything." She chimed, leading the three individuals to the living room of Kagami's apartment to which one more person was setting up the elongated table. Kuroko frowned, this seemed to be too much for just five people alone, and Kagami still hasn't told him who else would be joining…

"Ah, well that takes care of everything!" A bright male voice exhaled with smile that never faltered. He turned around swiftly, his length exceeding everyone's own in the room. His thick brown eyebrows stuck out more than any other facial feature as he gave a wink alongside a thumbs up to the others.

"Kiyoshi, why did you place the table all the way toward the hallway, blocking the restroom for everyone..?" Hyuuga started with a twitch of his eyebrow. His glasses held a gleam that concealed the annoyance within his irises and he stalked past the taller of the two with a sigh.

"Ah, I didn't think about that part." Kiyoshi chuckled, scratching the back of his short brown mane with one hand. Though Kiyoshi grew taller by another inch, he still remained the same since their first year of Seirin. Just last year, he returned to Japan after a successful knee rehabilitation. Though his first year of collage he would simply train with the basketball team, he didn't participate in any games, wanting to ensure that he was fully recovered. "I thought it'd be nice to have more room for when a break comes along."

There's no room for breaks tonight!" Hyuuga barked, now clasping each corner of the table with both hands. "We have to make sure they understand what they're dealing with on the exams! Now help me move the table to the center."

Through the laughter of Kiyoshi Teppei accompanied by the polar opposite of Hyuuga Junpei, Aida couldn't help but chuckle at their odd friendship. She smiled warmly, determined to make sure that Seirin's duo would succeed on passing the college exams so they could be together once again. After the commotion settled, Seirin's former coach dropped her bag unto the table and dumped over a series of textbooks piling up high.

"Don't you think this is overkill?" Kagami shuddered, inching back slightly as Aida turned with a menacing smile. Kuroko, who was not at all alarmed, sat down picking up one of the books to skim over the sticky notes that decorated the inside of the books.

Aida plopped down across Kuroko's side of the table and spread out the books accordingly, her voice now stern. "The test is just in another week, and hearing from what Kuroko had to say, he told me you weren't putting enough effort into your studies." Kagami shot Kuroko a sharp gaze, now slamming one hand over the other male's tussled hair before sitting next to him.

"How could you sell me out, baka?" Kagami spat with a large sigh, continuing to nudge his head with a fist. Kuroko swatted his arm away and adjusted himself before passing the textbook to him.

"If you don't pass, then who's going to sit in front of me while I try to take my naps?" Though meant to be a joke, the others only took in his flat tone of voice, not sure how to respond to his statement.

Hyuuga settled beside Aida, opening each book to their respective start pages with various highlights drawn in by their former coach. "After these couple of days of studying, I'll make sure you ace the exam." And there it was, Hyuuga's clutch trait making an appearance as his eyes glowered toward Kagami's own. Kagami gulped, uncrossing his arms in fear of how the next couple of nights were going to turn out.

Suddenly, breaking the heated tension of Hyuuga's, the doorbell sounded off, perking Kiyoshi's attention to the entrance. "I'll go grab it, Aida. Just go through the breakdown of what's to be expected." At that, he exited the area, leaving Aida to pull out a spreadsheet of the marks the two were to keep an eye out for. Kuroko listened attentively more than he should for he did exceptional on the prep test. There was always room for improvement.

"I'd figure tonight we'd go over the statistical portion of the exam first, seeing how there are a couple more questions on these that I'm sure Kagami-kun needs a refresher on." Aida glowered at Kagami's direction pointing at the notes taken below. She pushed the book to the burgundy haired male for review. Kuroko leaned over, viewing the example questions at hand, failing to notice a trail of footsteps from behind.

"Ah," A low voice idly chimed in, footsteps coming to a stop behind Kuroko's seated figure. "I should probably go over that too. Any type of math is always a pain in the ass for me." Cerulean eyes widened, and he turned his neck around, his cheek being greeted with a cold Maji Burger foam cup. Kuroko paused, looking up at the figure holding it out for him

"Aomine-kun." Kuroko announced with his voice trailing off at the end unconsciously. If his expression wasn't the epitome of shock than he didn't know what else it could be.

"Here, I got this for you while we were out. Don't tell me you don't like vanilla shakes anymore, Tetsu." Aomine stated with his brows rising, noticing the surprise within those bright blue eyes of Kuroko's. After a short moment, Kuroko accepted the shake with his light hand, and Aomine proceeded to the other side of the table.

"Thank you." He replied, adjusting the straw on the cup, and watched Aomine remove his jacket before sitting down. Following suit to sit beside him was Momoi with a bright smile flashing before everyone.

"As soon as I heard from Riko-chan that you all were planning on going to Tokyo University, I'd thought we should all get together to study." Momoi chimed a little bit more excited than she should be. She tilted her head to the side, her smile growing wider as her eyes met with Kuroko's. Within the past two years, the fuchsia haired manager had accepted the platonic relationship her and Kuroko held. "It makes me happy to see some of us together again, right Tetsu-kun?"

Kuroko held the shake gingerly in his hand and nodded with a smile cast over his lips. "Right, Momoi-san."

"Where's my food, bastard? After all, you're in _my_ apartment." Kagami added crossly, arching one furrowed eyebrow in annoyance. Aomine propped one hand underneath his chin before rolling his eyes.

"I figured a brute like you already went through a ten course dinner, so I didn't bother." The navy haired male sneered before Kagami slammed both hands over the table top now sending Kagami into a raging fit all the while Aomine picking his ear to avoid listening.

Aida watched with half lidded eyes. This definitely wasn't a reunion party of any kind, and she fumed even more with the wasted time passing. She whirled her head to Hyuuga in hopes for him to chime in with her for an intervention, but even Hyuuga seemed irate at another issue at hand.

"Well if it isn't the apologetic mushroom." He retorted, eyeing Sakurai with sharp chestnut eyes. When it came to facing the previous shooting guard of Seirin, Sakurai's fragile persona diminished.

"Good evening." Sakurai responded abruptly with a small purse of his lips. He placed himself beside Kagami, and let out a huff before removing the contents of his bag. "As much as I'd like to catch up, I'd rather get started studying."

 _Finally, someone with sense to actually take this seriously._ Aida sighed inwardly in relief, waiting to see the notes that the self-blamer had compiled. Rolling from his hand unto the long surface of the table was a spreadsheet of a manga adaptation of formulas and key definitions for each segment, causing everyone to pause to view the paperwork. "You can't be serious…" The former coach of Seirin drawled in venom, bringing her hand to her forehead in frustration. "Reunions over now, let's back to work here!"

Within seconds, everyone was attentive toward the senior before them as she explained the breakdown of how the next couple of evenings would consist of for their studies. Though he seemed observant to her lecture, Kuroko's mind was fixed on the fact that fate can work in mysterious ways of bringing former familiars together.

He drew the straw of the vanilla shake to his lips, taking in the last couple of drops of the shake and glanced over to the other side of the table where navy eyes were set on his own. Aomine Daiki's lips smirked lightly when he caught his stare, his chin continuing to rest underneath his bronzed hand. Those same soft lips were the ones that almost caught his own completely just weeks before. Kuroko's face blossomed a soft hint of red at the thought, and batted his oval eyes to turn away from his old partner.

Bringing his focus back to the accumulation of books scattered along the table, Kuroko Tetsuya could already tell that this was going to be a very long night ahead of him.

* * *

Red.

Bloodshot red eyes were the only thing registered within Kagami's eyes as a multitude of papers were sprawled out across the table before him. What started off as light practice work became a night of purgatory for the crimson haired male. His strained eyes darted over to his company where everyone to which most of them seemed transfixed within their book while their seniors acted as a spectator in the event they saw the problem being formulated incorrectly.

The clock read past ten at night. Three grueling, painful hours have past they've been at work with the study guides provided.

"I don't think I can take much more of this." Kagami seethed, raking his hair with one hand as he pushed his notes to the side.

"Oh no," Aida chided curtly, digging the heel of her foot toward his backside with crossed arms. "We're not having another episode of you running away from studying." Kagami slouched forward with pressed lips at the sight of his chicken scratch of notes he produced. Aida sighed, now dropping her arms. "Don't you realize if you're not accepted, that there's no chance of you playing college basketball?"

"I _know_ that-" He scowled turning his head around to a looming Aida glaring at him. "…ma'm." He added toward the end, ceasing her hostile demeanor. "There are other things on my mind besides working with numbers. I'm just excited, I was just recruited the other day by their captain so all I can think about right now is playing."

"Eh? Did you know about this, Junpei?" Aida shot at him from across the room, curiously.

Hyuuga adjusted his glasses in speculation before shaking his head lightly. "I didn't hear that from Hajime at all."

"Ne, how did someone like you get scouted as well?" Aomine drawled flatly with the bridge of his nose within the book, now peeking his eyes out from the cover to glare at his rival under his lashes. All three individuals now turned to the indigo haired man with a gawk, though Kagami was more so of a piercing glare.

"You mean Hajime spoke with you as well?" Kiyoshi asked, turning away from the problem Sakurai was solving and leaned back toward the wall.

Aomine laid sprawled out over the black leather couch beside the table with one leg crossing over his knee. "Are you all that surprised? Even if we weren't scouted, we would've tried out until he got it." Aomine breathed lazily, turning the page of the book until Momoi snatched the book from his hands. She huffed pulling out the latest basketball monthly issue that was hiding inside the book. At least it wasn't porn this time.

Her cherry eyes darted to her companion as she laid out the book away from his reach while handing the textbook back to him. Aomine snatched the textbook, still leaving it to tip over his nose. "Just as Aida-chan said, what is the point of getting scouted if you don't get accepted?"

"How about playing a quick match of streetball?"

Almost all eyes turned to Kagami, who seemed to pull himself out of the inner purgatory he was trapped under just minutes prior. Aida hummed lightly to herself, viewing all of the work that they've accomplished tonight splayed out across the table.

"Well we're ahead of schedule… and it's been awhile since I've gotten to see you all play." She mused, with a defeated shrug of her shoulders. Why not let them have their fun?

"Don't worry about this test, we'll destroy it. Then you'll see all of us on the court soon enough." Kagami declared, now standing up from his current position to fetch his basketball.

Everyone seemed to be sunk into a chatter of relief outside of their studies. All but Kuroko chimed in to the conversation just held, and Aomine took note of his odd silence. Outside of his lax position with the book firmly lying over half of his face, Aomine eyed Testu with half lidded eyes, observing the cerulean haired male fixed into his book with pressed lips and darting irises skimming over each text, almost as if there was an underlying issue within the shadow's mind.

* * *

Each breath exhaled left the excess carbon dioxide dancing along in the wind until dispersed into the frigid air above. At this time of hour, no one dared to be seen in within the basketball courts, especially not in this cold weather

"Well it's three on three, let's make it a ten minute match since it's already late in the evening." Aida proposed briskly, clasping unto her jacket for warmth. She as well as Momoi took a seat on the bench where everyone dropped of their belongings, and Momoi went through her phone to set up a timer.

"Ten minutes is more than enough to beat you, Aomine." Kagami sneered lightly and removed his flannel draped over his white long sleeve shirt. Aomine snorted at his comment, now throwing his bomber jacket to the bench next to the women seated. The ladies chuckled slightly at their jest of an awkward friendship.

All six men were huddled together within the center of the court, the lamp post lights illuminating on their figures just above. "How's your leg, Tetsu?" Aomine questioned, not looking down at the shadow beside him.

"It's fine." Was Kuroko's subtle reply, zipping up the light fitted heather gray sweater he wore and glanced up to the taller male who kept his sharp eyes focused on the now former team of Seirin. A smirk appeared on the corner of Aomine's lips and he pat the azure haired male's shoulder lightly.

"Good, then you're with me."

Aomine's statement was said in a matter of fact tone, and Kagami raised his eyebrow in objection. "Who said you could make the decisions with this game?" Kagami challenged in a low emphasis in his voice, annoyed by his rival before him. Both former senior of Seirin stood beside Kagami, and Hyuuga nudged the burgundy haired male on the shoulder roughly.

"There's nothing wrong with having us on the same team, right?" Hyuuga asked, almost in a nice manner but failing to conceal the clutch trait to him. "It's been awhile since we played together, especially against _him_." Hyuuga's eyes darted to Sakurai who was taken aback by his sudden change of mood. Kiyoshi gave a hearty, but sharp slap to the ace's back and smiled brightly down at the Kagami beside him. God, was Kagami already pissed and the game hasn't even started yet.

"It'll be fine, let's just have a good time." Yes, Kiyoshi still hasn't changed his high spirited attitude from years before, so it was hard for Kagami to still remain upset with him.

"Well, that's settled then." Aomine stated firmly, glancing at both Tetsu and Sakurai with a nod of his head. He stepped forward to the very center of the court with Kagami approaching as well for the tip off. Momoi clasped the ball in hand, lowering it to her knees to get ready to deliver the orange ball sky high.

Aomine's smirk grew wider to the point where he was baring his teeth at Kagami. Though not phased externally, Kagami was still taken aback by the tanned man's intensity on the court. Momoi counted down the seconds, and off went the ball into the air.

Despite the overwhelming confidence Aomine bore, Kagami was the successful of the two to connect with the ball to swing toward their behalf. Aomine clicked his tongue, watching Hyuuga clamp the ball firmly before moving in with Kiyoshi to the opposing side of the court. Heading to Hyuuga's direction was now Kuroko. He felt the crisp air burn through his lungs with every breath inhaled.

Though he was almost within reach, Kiyoshi's large frame ceased his advances. "I know you can do more than that." The Iron Heart chuckled. He smiled down at Kuroko with his large arms lifting from his sides to propose a full guard. Kiyoshi always seemed to have some angle within his mind when it came to interacting with those before him.

From behind, he could see Aomine dashing through the court. His agility was so on point that it seemed as if he was almost gliding through the area at hand. Even with grand precision, Kagami was also quick to come up beside him and take guard. The navy haired man's eyes darted over to Hyuuga who stood lateral to the basket over the three point line.

It was up to Sakurai now. Now at a one-on-one, Sakurai drew in a large breath, watching the clutch player draw the basketball closer to his frame. He assumed that a barrier jump was about to take place. Seeing a sliver of movement toward Hyuuga triggered the self-blamer to drop ready himself for the jump.

Sensing no pivot from Hyuuga's foot, Sakurai went for the jump. However, after the slight spring of the knees Hyuuga withdrew from the action and sunk his hips in once more. Sakurai gasped at the notion as he was already airborne and falling closer to him. Another second later, Hyuuga sprung his large frame up to fully execute his throw.

"The earth shooting form." Momoi whispered as soon as the ball released from Hyuuga's grasp. Illuminating over the night sky, the ball gracefully landed within the basket of their opponent's side with a nimble swish of the net. The contact Sakurai placed on Hyuuga wasn't enough to make him fall over, but the notion was enough for Aida to propose a foul with a clap of her hands.

Lining up to the opponent's basket, Sakurai shrunk his head slightly in the presence of Aomine making his way beside him. "Sumimasen, Aomine-san!" The chestnut haired male blurted out with a bow of his head. Aomine chuckled and nudged Sakurai lightly now turning the shooting guard's attention to the ace beside him questionably.

Aomine bore a sinister grin that their opponents could view through the shadows the lamp post. "Don't worry about it, the game's just started, Ryō." Without a blink of an eye, Aomine observed Hyuuga readying himself for the free throw shot. Just as expected, the shot was performed effortlessly with a smirk residing on Hyuuga's face. Aomine darted his eyes down to both Sakurai and Kuroko with a nod of his head before turning his head back to the three before them. Another low chuckle was emitted before Aomine added through his teeth, "We're going to take it back from them easily."

From across the other three point line of their basket, Kagami could see Aomine's grin grow more, in turn causing the adrenaline in the crimson haired male to rise over his cold exterior. Things were just getting started.

Starting off the play was the former ace of Tōō who was quick to calculate every possible opening held within the court in front of him. Just as quick as a snap of a finger, Aomine made haste to make his way toward the center of the court before being encountered by Hyuuga's stern demeanor.

Just as expeditious as he was to bolt off, his deceleration was also very punctual. He paused with the ball dribbled toward his left hand. Aomine lowered his eyelids and shoulders to the senior before him and drew out a laugh from underneath his breath.

Now began Aomine, maneuvering the ball in multiple crossovers that Hyuuga couldn't predict the break he was trying to enact. Though playing against his former foe plenty of times in the past, the way the levels of speed changed with Aomine's ball handling was still unimaginable to process. Finally sensing the delay within Hyuuga's movements, Aomine broke past the shooting guard with Sakurai following up to guard after.

Again Kuroko was guarded by the uncrowned king, Kiyoshi. Their obscene difference in height absolutely gave the senior an advantage over his own. Kiyoshi's eyes momentarily darted over to the bronzed man closing in the distance on the basket before them. "Kagami, he's coming in!"

That was a mistake.

The phantom player took the opportunity to break from Kiyoshi's guard and closed in to both ace's line of sight. Kiyoshi stared back at his former teammate, from a surprised face, to one that registered that he could break through any wall before him.

Aomine once again was halted by his rival before him. Just as always, Kagami looked hungry for a good challenge. Wanting to return the favor from the first play, Aomine's sharp eyes turned to Tetsu and he immediately passed the ball underneath Kagami's arm before breaking through his guard to advance further.

With a swift turn of his head, Kagami stared with wide eyes on Aomine's delivery. If they were to return to years ago, not in a million years would Aomine have relied on his teammates. Kagami now understood Kuroko's words of seeing the change in the ace, and he immediately snapped out of his daze to recover.

Under the basket stood Kiyoshi awaiting Kuroko's next move watching the ball being dribbled underneath his porcelain skinned hand. Footsteps were heard from behind, and Kuroko was quick to curve his knees into position to shoot. Kuroko furrowed his brows, for what he was about to perform was solely based on a whim.

Just as back in Teikō, he recalled the synchronization of the former light and shadow's plays vividly in his mind. If he remembered correctly, with plays such as these, Aomine would come around from—

The azure haired male threw the ball swiftly to the right hand side with his eyes still locked unto Kiyoshi's now surprising brown orbs. Catching with such elegance was indeed Aomine Daiki who was quick to execute a dunk from behind the center's large build. Kiyoshi and Kagami veered to Aomine, who released the rim of the basket swiftly and landed easily unto the court.

Kagami shrugged the surprise from his crimson orbs and shook his tee shirt lightly to release the cold sweat falling. "Like you said, now _we're_ going to take it back."

As the opposing team turned tail back to their respective side of the basket, Aomine was paused underneath the rim of the basket, peering down at his hands in an absentminded glare. Everything about that pass felt as natural as they used to feel back in Teikō. The delivery, the momentum of the catch—everything about the small execution hit Aomine like no other.

He felt light.

Just as if he's finally broken free of the inner shackles holding him back from years before. Aomine turned to his companion before him with his lips parted slightly. Kuroko smiled gently and nodded his head at their succession.

Tetsu has saved him.

And Aomine doesn't know if Tetsu will ever realize what the shadow player has done to him. Now he broke out of his thoughts to approach his companion with a warm smile and held out his hand for a fist bump in which Kuroko returned. The exchange was brief, but this meant more to Aomine than anyone would have ever known.

The indigo haired man now chuckled as he turned toward their opposing team with a crooked grin, "Ikuzo, Tetsu."

Heavy breathing was heard throughout the entire basketball court outdoors as all six players gathered toward the center after the time finally rung to a close. Kagami exhaled heavily while peeling off the sweat filled shirt stuck to his stomach.

"Bastard, you only won because you had Kuroko on your team." Kagami snapped while grabbing his basketball off the ground. At that comment, Hyuuga chopped his hand down over his head, upset for not considering his teammates before him who tried their best. Momoi and Aida paced toward the center of the court as well with the former manager holding out her phone to show a three point lead that was in favor of Kuroko's team.

"Oi, don't go using Tetsu as a crutch. After the last Winter Cup, there's no way in hell I'm going to let you beat me again, Bakagami." Aomine scowled and went to the bench to slip on his jacket. Everyone followed suit, ignoring the curse Kagami threw at his rival tenfold.

"Seems you both forgot that you'll be on a team together, not _against_ each other." Momoi chided with a pointed finger marked on the two aces. They both retracted their heads and glanced at one another with sharp eyes. They didn't particularly loathe each other, but through the course of their high school careers, the thought of losing to one another sent their blood boiling.

Aomine cocked an eyebrow up, still presenting a stern expression to the crimson haired male. That's right. They'll be playing on the same side soon. Aomine blew out a sigh and adjusted his jacket before strutting laxly over to the rival ace. He nudged lightly at Kagami's shoulder with one hand and threw a smirk at him. "We'll still keep tabs outside of the games then."

Kagami nodded his head firmly to accept his challenge. He returned the smirk and placed his hands over his hips. "I'll be looking forward to it then."

Aida smiled widely at the truce between the two. She had a feeling that their teamwork will fall into place quicker than expected. Shortly after, she let out a yawn and checked the time within her phone. "Some people have to work in the morning, so I think it's time for me to head out." She stated, confirming with a nod to Kiyoshi and Hyuuga. Her eyes loomed once more to the others in front of her as she crossed her arms. "But don't you dare think that the next couple of days will be one streetball match after another."

Kagami raised his brows and took a step back from her slowly before flashing a grin. "Once we're accepted, we'll play more often before school starts up." Aida had to admit, that despite of any type of odds laid out on the table, Kagami was quick recover from any negative notion. Kagami, as well as Seirin's former seniors bid farewell before going their separate ways. Momoi yawned as well, gathering her keys in hand before guiding the three players in front of her to go. Everyone but Aomine complied and he dove his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket.

"If it's good with you, Tetsu, I'd want to take to subway home. How about it?" Aomine asked in a low mutter. Everyone turned their heads to the ace quizzically. Tetsu's cerulean orbs blinked, considering Aomine's request for a few seconds.

Indirectly speaking, Aomine was asking for him to join him.

"If that's what you'd like, Aomine-kun." Kuroko's velvet voice answered. He adjusted his bag and turned to the others standing beside him. "Momoi-san, Sakurai-kun, it was nice to see you both." He expressed kindly.

Momoi returned a smile to Kuroko with a nod of her head before changing faces when meeting with Aomine. "Well don't go calling me when you're sick, Dai-chan." Momoi huffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder before turning back around. Sakurai bowed his head before turning heel to exit with Momoi.

Kuroko was curious as to Aomine's proposal. He shifted his bag once more over his shoulder before looking up at the ace whose features were softened from the creases of his brows to the firm closure of his lips. Aomine was first to make his exit out of the court, waving for his companion to follow suit.

* * *

The crisp wind of the air blew through the empty space of the station before two individuals waiting near the edge of the tracks. With every light breath exhaled through the nostrils, one could still see the carbon dioxide trail out of their bodies unto to the late night before them. Kuroko shifted uncomfortably in place, diving his hands into the pockets of his light sweater.

He was unbelievably cold.

Aomine tilted his head to the side, observing the shadow's fidgeting figure and shook his head lightly. "Baka, you're definitely going to catch a cold wearing that thin sweater." Aomine stated who was now removing his bomber jacket and handed it over to Kuroko. "Here."

"I didn't think we would be outside on a night like this." Kuroko replied lightly, accepting Aomine's gesture. He now secured the jacket over his frame and noticed how loose it was over his stature. He smiled tenderly, seeing Aomine stare straight ahead awaiting the train's arrival. "And I also didn't think I would see you like this either. You always continue to surprise me, Aomine-kun."

Bronze skin flushes, and Aomine peers his eyes down at Kuroko before shoving his short hair behind his head to turn his eyes away in slight embarrassment. The station intercom sounded off with the next train arriving shortly. This announcement sent both heads veering toward the lights trailing through the station tracks over to their direction. The rattles of the tracks came to a stop with the train's automatic doors opening for the two of them. Artificial fluorescent lights from the inside of the train shined brightly overhead causing the two to squint slightly before entering to be seated.

The vibration of the train resonated through the entire train cart. As late as the evening was, Aomine and Tetsu were the only ones within that particular cart of the subway. He crossed his broad arms over his gray long sleeve shirt lazily. Through the glass of the train cart, Aomine could see droplets of rain hitting the glass. He batted his eyes, his sharp lids lowering slightly.

The rain reminded him of that evening within Kuroko's home. The memory was so clear to him; from how small Tetsu was underneath him, the way Tetsu placed his hand over his chest ever so gently, and how warm his lips were under his own at that slight touch.

"Let me be clear," Kuroko started as he dug his hands into the sleeves of Aomine's jacket for warmth. His eyes were fixed below to see his dark denim of his jeans compared to Aomine's olive cargo pants with one leg crossed over his thigh leisurely. "As surprised as I was to see you, I'm also happy. The thought of going to the same school together somehow feels comforting. Even if it's not together with everyone, at least some of us will be side by side again."

Aomine darted his eyes down to the shorter male next to him with his lips parted open. He seemed to have trouble arranging the words to say to him. His eyes only caught the ruffled blue hair of Tetsu's but also a soft smile from the corner of his fragile lips. Aomine shifted slightly in his position, turning his eyes back to the glass window before him. Through the raindrops he could see the reflection of both of their figures.

"Our play tonight felt like everything we used to have back in Teikō." Aomine replied with his arms still crossed. He could feel the turn of Kuroko's head to see his own. The indigo haired male shifted his head to the side, not wanting to show Tetsu the heat he felt rising to his face. He opened his mouth to continue, feeling his voice grow rather husky when he stated, "I think I've found my answer to this problem… and I think I found it within you."

Seconds have passed with no response. Curious, Aomine shifted his head down to Kuroko's whose alabaster skin was tainted red with fluster.

"That was quite embarrassing, Aomine-kun."

Aomine scoffed at the simple response and removed his crossed arms to nudge the phantom player harshly to the side. "For all the times I've counted all the embarrassing shit you've ever said, I think I have a right to throw one in there." His tone was flat, but he held no malice to those words. Kuroko turned his face away toward the glass of the station with a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"Thank you, though you're giving me too much credit. Just like the end of our first year, you've found your love for basketball again. You just had to break down that wall of taking on everything by yourself." His voice was honest, and very subtle.

"I want to start practicing with you again, Tetsu."

Kuroko's head shot up to face Aomine with parted lips. He could see the taller man stare down intently at him. His mind withdrew to memories of the two staying after practice to train together. As exceptional of a player that the ace was compared to Kuroko, he never doubted his talent, or love for basketball that they've shared.

Now bringing himself back to reality, Kuroko shifted his eyes away from Aomine's gaze in dismay before replying, "As much as I want to relive those days shared with you, I wasn't scouted, Aomine-kun. Regardless of that fact, I'll still practice basketball with you, even if it's just leisurely."

So that's what was troubling Tetsu earlier this afternoon.

"So you're going to give up just like that?" Aomine started, his head slightly tilted over to the side. He kept his eyes loomed over the fair skinned male beside him. After seconds of no reply, Aomine pursed his lips. "That's not like you, Tetsu."

"I'm not like you, or Kagami-kun though-"

"Ah, that's such bullshit, Tetsu." Aomine seethed, not meaning for it to hold so much venom like the words sounded. "I believe in you, and I'm sure as hell that Bakagami, and everyone from your old team do as well." Kuroko turned his gaze back to those navy irises darting his own. There was a fire within those eyes; ones that were so honest with Tetsu, and even if he wanted to, Kuroko couldn't tear away from his gaze. "Come to tryouts." A hint of a demand slipped off Aomine's tongue with the request.

Kuroko let out a sigh with a slight sink of his shoulders. Aomine _never_ gave up on him back then in Teikō, even when he gave up on himself. The thought of playing college ball with everyone sounded nice, and of course it wasn't what he had in mind for the future—"I'll consider it, Aomine-kun."

With a nod of his head, Kuroko turned back to the glass windows ahead with a small smile crept from the corner of his lips. Aomine's eyes softened before turning away from his companion. Though it seemed Tetsu wasn't one hundred percent convinced, Aomine wasn't going to give up just yet. For now though, both individuals were tired, and Aomine was too lethargic to continue the debate.

The rain continued to fall outside. The sounds of the droplets hitting the metal plating of the train cart were the only substance breaking the silence between both individuals.

Through the calm between both males, Aomine enclosed his gaze unto the shadow player noticing the bat of his eyelashes as he stared off to the glass window. Kuroko rubbed his arms together through the jacket as he was still searching for warmth within the cold interior of the train cart.

Though his mind told him he shouldn't, Aomine ignored logical thought and drew his left arm over the smaller male with his lengthy arm hanging over his shoulder. He gave a small tug to draw Kuroko closer before turning to the windows to catch the light drizzle of raindrops from outside.

Oval cerulean eyes widen at the gesture for a brief moment, but he kept his composure just the same with his irises still keeping its gaze at the glass window. There were many times back in middle school where this gesture was expressed, but tonight felt different than what was felt years before. The grasp seemed more intimate than just a friendly notion.

It was almost as if the two had this unspoken agreement about being with one another without actually pursuing it yet. They were still on the road to reconcile, and both had understood without having to say anything to each other. With that thought in mind, Tetsu sunk his head into Aomine's broad chest with a sigh and closed his eyes contently. Aomine suddenly lurched internally at the motion, shifting his eyes below to catch the smaller of the two nestled beneath him with his arms crossed.

Suddenly, it seemed everything around the bronzed man grew warmer. Tetsu didn't fully understand the light he's shed unto Aomine, and that was fine with him. Years before, he stood knee deep on a sea of loathing and was unable to come to terms with the guilt he's forced unto himself with his old companion. Right here, right now, those burdens have almost vanished, and it was more than the ace could ever hope for.

Minutes have passed within the train cart with no words exchanged. Just the sound of the metal rattling through the tracks of the subway. This was a comfortable silence for the two. Their destination was almost reached, and Aomine wanted to atone for the last bit of burdens he still seemed to have buried within his chest.

"I'm sorry for everything, Tetsu." Aomine stated somberly, watching to see Kuroko's reaction from the water stained windows of the train. Though the raindrops impaired the features of Kuroko's, Aomine could tell his eyes remained closed and possibly he may have already fallen asleep. Aomine let out a dim chuckle, feeling the slight lurch of his chest move with Kuroko's head still laid upon it. "I don't know how you're still able to even stand just _looking_ at me, especially after I pushed you away. You're too kind for your own good. That's something that shouldn't be wasted on someone like me."

Minutes passed after the words were spoken with no reply. Suddenly, an eerie screech of the subway resounded through the cart as it was coming to a halt. The automatic metal doors drew open at their designated station and Kuroko slowly lifted his head off of Aomine's chest. He looked to Aomine with half lidded eyes. Meeting his gaze was the bronzed man with a small smirk over his lips. The ace removed his arm from Kuroko and stood up from his seat, turning halfway to wait for Tetsu to follow.

Exiting the subway and sauntering into the empty street blocks was Aomine and Kuroko. Thankfully the rain had ceased, but damn was the wind just as cold as ever. Aomine aired out the collar of his grey long sleeve with one hand. He was determined not to let the other male see he was freezing. He glanced down at Kuroko, thinking of how nice he looked in his jacket despite it being oversized, and he chuckled to himself.

Kuroko looked up at him curiously while Aomine dismissed his thought. "It's nothing, I think being this tired it getting to me." Aomine mumbled. He shifted his eyes over to the street ahead. Almost home. Tetsu's block was just coming up, and they would separate for the night.

"Aomine-kun." Kuroko called out gently. He seemed to be at a distance, and Aomine turned around to see that Tetsu had indeed stopped feet behind him.

Just when he was about to ask what was on his mind, Tetsu approached Aomine with his head slightly lowered and encircled his arms around the broader man's waist. The indigo haired male froze with sharp eyes widening.

"There's no reason to continue to carry your hardship anymore, Ahomine." Tetsu gingerly stated, his head buried into the shoulder of Aomine's long sleeve. His head was turned away from the taller male. Aomine relaxed his shoulders.

So Tetsu did hear him on the subway.

The ace lifted his arms to return his gesture. He enclosed one long arm fully around Kuroko's waist rather tightly. His other hand was placed over unruly azure hair, and he caressed those light strands under his lengthy fingers gently. He laid his chin over Kuroko's head, with eyes shut tightly.

All the last remaining guilt was released into this embrace. Squeezing out the last bit of anguish with his arm draped around Tetsu's slim waist. His bronzed hand grazing away the last speck of grief over the back of the shorter male's head. Aomine finally pulled himself out of the loathing entrapped inside him. He was finally liberated.

Kuroko was the first to pull away from the embrace, now looking up at Aomine with his face flushed. Aomine's hardened expression seemed to lose its harsh creases for a brief moment. No undertones of remorse were seen within those indigo eyes any longer. Aomine patted the light hair of Tetsu's before draping his arm around his shoulder once more to continue on down the block.

"Let's go home, Tetsu."

The brisk wind of the night seemed to be less harsh on Aomine that evening, just as long as he had his Tetsu by his side.

* * *

 **Note** : I've probably re read this chapter about twenty times before deciding to finally post it. Sometimes I feel like that I may put in _too_ much detail, but I don't like to keep things simple. I'm excited to include these other characters and their own progression as well throughout the story. I believe that there's enough depth to say that things between Kuroko and Aomine are mended. I'm excited on where I want to take this story, and I hope you all are as well. Thank you for the read, and feedback is always appreciated!


	4. Two Lights

**The Color of Rain**

 **Disclaimers** : I do not own any piece of work deriving from the manga or anime adaptations of Kuroko no Basuke.

 **Two Lights**

A siege of cardboard boxes towered over even the tallest of men next to the beige door of an apartment complex. Kagami glared at the multitude of boxes in dismay. It was enough trouble hoisting these up three flights of staircases, but now to have them to place them inside was another taxing objective.

Though Kuroko didn't sound particularly vexed when asking Kagami for assistance of moving his belongings just days before, the burgundy haired male wouldn't let his frail partner tackle this task alone. Kagami turned around, looking at the others with him who looked displeased. At least he was able to drag some others down with him.

"Well at least we're halfway there." Said Hyuuga who was airing out his red t-shirt from the sweat accumulating toward his torso. He pushed his glasses toward the bridge of his nose, now turning to lean over the stairwell to view the outside scenery. Compared to the harsh cold from almost a month before, the light breeze was paradise for him just as long as the sun was there to beam down at every crevice that it touched.

Clamors of footsteps ascending up the concrete staircase were heard shortly after. Both men turned, viewing Kiyoshi and Aomine who heaved a queen size mattress up toward the entrance. Just barely reaching over the mattress, the mop of Kuroko's unruly light hair was shown in passing. He made his way to the door to unlock it with his key and opened it fully to let the two proceed in.

The apartment was a fair size for Kuroko. There was the perfect balance of not having too much or too little space for himself and Nigou to live within. This particular apartment was recently refurbished with the walls repainted a soft cream color and was complete with newly wooden floorboards, much to Kuroko's liking. Within the entrance was the living room that was also had a balcony beyond the glass sliding door just up ahead to the fire escape. His living quarters had two bedrooms toward the hallway just to the left hand side of the living room, one in which he would use one for his study.

Kiyoshi blew out a sigh as himself and Aomine scrambled into the hallway to place the mattress within what would be Kuroko's room. The bronzed male pushed the mattress toward the ground, immediately falling over lazily on the firmness of the bed. He exhaled with his eyes focused on the ceiling of the room, bringing up the black piece of his sleeveless tank top to wipe his nose.

"You owe me ten teriyaki burgers for this later." Aomine drawled, sensing the shadow player by the doorway of the room. A soft chuckle was heard from Kuroko's lips and Aomine shifted his eyes to the other before him.

"I'll be sure to remember that, Aomine-kun." Kuroko answered in his all too well velvet voice. Aomine snorted, now sitting up to face him with a smirk across his sharp face.

The sound of boxes colliding to the ground turned Kuroko's attention over to the living room where Kiyoshi accidentally brushed his hand behind his head after dropping one parcel. The combination of Kiyoshi's light laughter and Hyuuga's bellowing shouts sent more chuckles escaping from his small lips. Aomine observed the light blue male's side profile keenly.

Aomine's smirk turned unconsciously made its way to a warm smile, still finding it hard to believe that they would be walking alongside together again within the same college. He made damn sure that he passed the entrance exams to ensure that he would be accepted—and to also surpass Kagami by a couple points.

In this moment, seeing the smile on Tetsu's face reminded Aomine that this wouldn't be like last time where he would wonder when would be the next time he would ever see his honest smile behind his usual inexpressive face. This time would be different. They would move on to collage together, to go Maji Burger after class, play basketball together—

Right. There was still that uncertainty within Kuroko of trying out for the college team.

Aomine stood up now with his smile shifting back into his usual stern demeanor. The bronzed male sauntered over to the doorway and placed his arm over Tetsu's shoulder to bring his attention back to him. "I'm going to bring some more stuff in. Could I have some water for when I get back up?" Kuroko nodded his head and headed toward the kitchen. Aomine waited for him to be out of sight before approaching Hyuuga who was recovering from his verbal lashing out toward Kiyoshi. "I'm going to get the box spring. Got a minute to help out, Hyuuga?"

Hyuuga adjusted his glasses before nodding his head. There was more to his request than it seemed, and Aomine made no effort to mask those intentions within his eyes.

Aomine made his way outside over to the box spring to find a good grip to hoist the item up off the ground. Their position was far away enough for no one else to hear their conversation. Aomine did not apologize for how blunt he was going to sound, but when he wanted something done, he would get straight to the point. "I want you to set up a practice match with Hajime's team before classes start up."

Hyuuga shot his head back startled by how easy he expected this request to be granted. As serious as Aomine was, Hyuuga couldn't help but let out a laugh. "You know how hard it is to try and accommodate them together, especially with the term starting up so soon?" Aomine didn't falter from his words, instead he narrowed his eyes sharply, letting the brown haired man know that he was just as serious as ever before.

"I need you to make this happen, Hyuuga."

Hyuuga immediately drew back his chortle and furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. He didn't particularly like the way Aomine easily expected for things to go his way, or on a personal level, how he spoke to him as a senior. "You're serious." He replied, bewildered. "Why are you so adamant about this?" Hyuuga questioned while rolling his head to the side, rather suspicious of his Aomine's intent.

Aomine released his grip from the box spring and shifted his eyes toward the entrance of Tetsu's apartment to make sure that no one was exiting before turning back to Hyuuga. "Tetsu wasn't scouted, and I want to make sure that they know the mistake they're making." The ace's tone was challenging, and he was confident that once they saw what Tetsu could accomplish, they wouldn't hesitate to see him for tryouts.

Hyuuga wasn't sure if he was more taken aback by Aomine's proposal or Kuroko's dilemma. His mind drew a blank, searching for what topic to bring up first before finally replying, "You do realize who you're testing, do you? Just because you were recruited by Hajime and coach Kotarou, doesn't mean that they're going to listen to what you want."

The navy haired male tilted his chin up, showing his senior that he wasn't fazed. "Don't you think he'll be interested to know that we want to make an early appearance?" Aomine asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Aomine's jaw was firm; his indigo eyes were even more determined to have this practice match set in stone.

After a moment of staring at Aomine with calm deliberation, Hyuuga let out a sigh and turned to the box spring to find a secure spot to pick it up. "I wonder why Kuroko didn't tell us initially." Hyuuga murmured more so to himself. "I'll see what I can do."

Aomine smirked coolly, now assisting the shooting guard with the task before them.

Two hours have passed leaving the apartment livelier than it was before. Boxes were unpacked to fill the empty space of the wooden floorboards within the living room and kitchen. All the plates, silverware, and saucepans were divided respectively into their own individual cabinets of the kitchen. The living room was adorn with a deep chestnut wooden table just feet away from an elongated suede couch. The sliding glass door leading to the fire escape were draped with satin taupe curtains that kept the room in a much warmer tone.

Though he wasn't finish setting up everything to its entirety, simple decorations such as these were enough to satisfy Kuroko's tastes. He turned around to the other individuals behind him and bowed genuinely in appreciation. "Thank you for helping me with the move. I owe you all greatly."

"It's no problem at all, Kuroko." Kiyoshi kindly replied with a grand smile over his lips. Moments after, he fastened his eyes on the clock overhead on the kitchen and made his way toward the entrance of the apartment door to retrieve his shoes. "I did tell my grandparents I'd pay them a visit, so I think it's about time I head out." He fumbled through the pockets of his cargo shorts and pulled out his car keys. "Would you all want a ride home? It's on the way back." He offered to Kagami and Hyuuga who gladly accepted after all the running around they've already accomplished.

"You sure you got the rest of this, Kuroko?" Kagami asked, darting his eyes to the other boxes still encased with other items. The cerulean haired male nodded.

"You've all done more than enough for me today. I'm very grateful." Kuroko insisted, trailing his eyes toward the few boxes lying around the corner of the living room and kitchen. "The rest is all easy work."

As Kagami and Hyuuga began to get ready for their departure, Kiyoshi noticed one more individual being displaced and he turned searched around the room in uncertainty. "Aomine? Do you need a ride back home as well?"

A questionable hum was heard from the study, and Kiyoshi peered over to see a rather sullen Aomine exit the study with a hammer in one hand, and shaking his other hand in pain. Aomine furrowed his brow in annoyance looking at his hand and turned his eyes to Kiyoshi replying listlessly, "Thanks, but I'll be finishing up building this pain in the ass of a book shelf before heading out."

Starting out the door was Kagami and Kiyoshi, bidding the two of them farewell. Before exiting the apartment, Hyuuga turned his head to Aomine specifically, his face unyielding. "In three days' time, Aomine. I'll message you with more details soon." Knowing very well what that meant, Aomine nodded his head and watched as Hyuuga shut the door.

Aomine could feel Kuroko's gaze upon him, curious as to what this meant between the two. But he didn't offer to speak of it just yet. Instead, he looked back toward the hallway where the study was located and ushered for Kuroko to join him with the notion of his shoulder.

Kuroko was astounded on how much Aomine accomplished in such a timely manner. The mahogany bookcase was almost finished, with the size of the entire furnishing being taller than Aomine's own stature. Not a word was spoken between the two for minutes. The shadow player sat on the ground with legs crossed, keeping his eyes on Aomine's side profile as he felt around the case for a nail with one hand, keeping his eyes on the mark wanting to hammer shortly.

His fingertips were bruised red. There was no telling how many times the ace may have hit his hand with the hammer in disregard. Kuroko frowned slightly at this thought and began to move from his position on the ground. "I can do the rest, Aomine-kun. You've done too much already."

"It's not a big deal, I'm almost done anyway." Came Aomine steadily, now beginning to hammer the piece of wood holding the backboard together with the book shelf. Tetsu paused momentarily before sitting down once more.

Aomine was always well-known for his rigid manner toward others around him; his sharp eyes always half lidded in a stern appearance, with lips that seemed always firmly pressed together in an unwavering manner. Some may perceive him as very callous in the way he carried himself, but in fact, he was very content to be sharing this time he had with Tetsu, even if he was getting some minor injuries in the process.

"May I ask what you and Hyuuga-senpai were talking about earlier?" Inquired Kuroko as stood now to grab some tacs for the ace to avoid him digging for it blindly. Aomine blinked, still keeping his eyes on the work before him and took a nail from Tetsu's hand.

"Do you want to have a one-on-one in a bit, Tetsu?" Aomine asked, blatantly ignoring the question. Kuroko drew his head back slightly, curious as to his request. He waited to reply, still seeing the navy haired male hammering away at one last section of the backboard.

He didn't enjoy how others avoided the question at hand.

After another passing moment, Kuroko relaxed his shoulders in defeat, seeing that Aomine would not give him a reply. "We can play basketball." Answered Kuroko, and this was when Aomine finally stopped to face him with a smile over his lips. His indigo eyes held determination of something unknown to Tetsu.

"Get ready, I'm just about finished."

Kuroko held his glare over the taller of the two even as he turned away from his gaze. He's realized over these past few months that Aomine was full of surprises, and today will be no different to his thought. As he exit the study to his room to change, a loud yelp was heard from the study followed by a stream of low curses from Aomine. Kuroko shook his head with a small smile curling from the corner of his lips.

* * *

The daybreak greeted Aomine and Kuroko lightly as they were settled their bags on the bench of the basketball courts near the apartment complex. Though cooler winds dawned over those who greeted the outdoors, the sun was enough to kiss the warmth over their exteriors leaving the day to be perfect than months prior. The shadow player settled his basketball on the bench and adjusted the white tank top he wore before placing his sweatbands over each wrist. He now turned to Aomine who craned his neck to the side with his chin held high.

Aomine's eyes were full of strategy of what was to come shortly. He was the kind of guy who looked steadfast in the heat of the moment when it came to basketball. He never let his intensity betray his opponents before him, even with his crooked grin and indigo irises that seemed to constrict when faced with a new challenge presented to him.

He drew out his arm in full extension to the opposite shoulder and held it in full flexion with his other arm in a full stretch. Sweat already began to accumulate toward his temple from his short navy mane, and he fastened his eyes on Kuroko, now switching arms to stretch. "Let's go for five possessions. Ready, Tetsu?" He questioned, now airing out his lengthy black tank top of sweat leaving his abdomen.

With a nod of his head, Kuroko and Aomine made their way toward the center of the court. With sharp eyes looming over Kuroko, it was hard for him not to feel daunt toward the taller male. As soon as he began to dribble the ball beside him, Aomine hunched his shoulders, his arms hanging side by side, and he lowered his frame slightly with his head almost eye level to his partner before him.

Kuroko shrunk back slightly.

He felt a surge of intimidation course through his being. This was a feeling he hasn't felt since the first time they started practicing with each other back in middle school. The change was that there was nothing light hearted about the way Aomine's eyes batted at Kuroko. The firmness of his jaw didn't falter, and Aomine wore his mouth in a strict line. Kuroko was beginning to see that this was not going to be a normal one-on-one with the ace.

Holding his ground, Kuroko began in a crossover to his left hand side and blinked his eyes toward the right in order to attempt a fake. Aomine's eyes followed the ball and he saw recovered the ball easily from Tetsu with a swipe of his hand. Instantaneously, Aomine brushed by the shadow player and zipped over to his respective side of the court to shoot. Though a formless shot, he handled it with such grace that even Kuroko just amazed by him as always. Aomine retrieved the ball and turn to his partner, finally shooting him a smirk before tossing the ball firmly to him. "Again."

This continued for an hour, even after the five possessions that was easily overtaken by the genius being Aomine. Kuroko bent forward, panting lightly with his hands over his knees. Droplets of sweat fell from the tips of his unkempt cerulean hair and he finally straightened himself back up with one hand pushing back his bangs. Aomine stood in front of him, his chest heaving just lightly as he dribbled the ball laxly beside him. "Let's try this again, Tetsu." Aomine requested with a slip of a command trailing off toward the end.

Kuroko furrowed his brows at this. This felt like no one-on-one at all. Aomine had Kuroko reenact the same plays over and over again until he barely made it through Aomine's defenses. Though he hardly executed them, this meant a lot to the shadow player, especially going against the ace of the Generation of Miracles himself. One set of plays focused on efficient crossovers, the next was working once more on his shooting form. Though he appreciated the gesture, Aomine was not his coach by any means, and Tetsu was no longer going to beat around the bush regarding his unnamed motives.

"I will," He started in between breaths, wiping the sweat off his face before settling his gaze unto Aomine's orbs. "once you tell me what's the meaning of all this." Aomine stopped the rhythmic bouncing of the basketball and held it firmly to his side. He raised his eyebrows at Tetsu with his lips curving into a grin. "Does this have to do with your discussion with Hyuuga-senpai?" Kuroko pressed, his gaze unwavering from Aomine.

Aomine shook the strands of sweat from his short navy hair and turned away from his partner to prepare for a shot. "Yeah, you're right." Aomine replied laxly, now executing his shot. "We're having a practice match against Hajime's team, and you're playing too." As soon as it landed, slowly made his way over to retrieve the ball with his lips still curved into his sly grin. He could feel the way Kuroko's eyes widen from behind his back, and he quickly returned to face his partner up close to find he was still bewildered.

"I thought I told you I would consider it, Aomine-kun." Kuroko started crossly, not understanding why he wasn't upfront about this from the start, and how Aomine assumed that he would just waltz over to a game against a college team that didn't recruit him.

"Didn't look like you considered it to me, Tetsu." Somehow, Kuroko didn't like the way Aomine was so nonchalant about this. "Besides, you don't start your job until school starts, right? You're free on that day, ne?" Aomine continued as he made his way toward the bench to throw him his water bottle.

Kuroko pressed his lips together tightly, not taking a sip, no matter how parched he seemed in that moment. Aomine however was quick to almost finish his entire bottle and he sighed loudly after removing the bottle from his lips and turned heel to toss the bottle in the garbage. "It's not a big deal, Aomine-kun." Came Kuroko's reply very softly. Aomine came to a halt as soon as those words were stated. His lips lost that smirk held and was now replaced with a slight scowl.

"Not a big deal?"

Aomine whirled around in the midst of crushing his water bottle in hand. Tetsu was taken aback by how quick he was to stand just centimeters away from him. At that moment, Tetsu's jaw lost its firmness and he could see the deep crease of Aomine's brows contort rather harshly. "You're really going to stand here and tell me that it's 'not a big deal'? I know you, Tetsu, and I can see it in your eyes that you don't really mean that." His words were rigid with each syllable and he didn't dare tear away from his gaze down at Kuroko.

Kuroko stood rather stunned; unable to muster up words for any type of reply. After seconds of consideration, Aomine continued, but this time in a less strict tone as he released the heated tension flexing from his clenched hands. "I still stand by saying that I've never met someone who loves basketball as much as myself. I could see it clearly within your play today that it's a damn big deal."

"Aomine-kun…" Kuroko carefully stated, trying to find the right words to depict next. He looked toward the basketball lying beside their feet, and he frowned rather slightly, thinking about their practice just now. It was so hard just to keep up with everyone most of the time, and though his misdirection was rather remarkable, would that alone be enough? "There's a reason why he sought out you and Kagami-kun. I'm not like you two."

"There you go again with that shit." Aomine spat, shaking his head. He bent over to grasp the basketball within his lengthy hands. He took a moment to collect himself; not wanting to argue with his companion any further. "Well, so what that you're not like us?" Aomine started, stepping away from Kuroko and began to dribble the ball in place. "Your misdirection is a skill that none of us have."

Aomine turned his head back to Tetsu with every inch of exasperation no longer present in his face. He grinned baring white teeth with a sense of conviction present within his navy orbs as he locked his gaze into the cobalt's irises of Kuroko's. He clasped the ball in hand and threw in swiftly to the shadow player who caught it just as briskly as the ball came. "We're going to show them what you're made of." Aomine declared with no single shred of doubt slipping off his tongue.

Kuroko blinked in astonishment, feeling a sudden flow of anticipation running through him. It shouldn't be this easy for Aomine to ensnare him into his plans, but it was, and Kuroko accepted his proposal. He returned a smile and made his way back to the center of the court with Aomine before complying. "Yes, let's do it."

* * *

"Kuroko, we need to talk." Kagami stated slowly, closing the locker in front of him as he turned down to his shadow beside him. All heads suddenly turned, and the silence was pressed on a bit further until Hyuuga nodded his head, ushering with a thumb for everyone to continue on out to the courts without them.

Aomine stuck his chin up, watching how unsettled Kagami seemed when he and Kuroko exchanged glances toward each other. The way the burgundy haired male was, it was not surprising for him to feel the way he did. When Aomine called his rival regarding the news of the game, Kagami on the other end of the line couldn't muster up much to say. Aomine then registered that Kuroko didn't even tell him that he wasn't scouted, or considered not even try out for the team.

"They'll work it out, let's go to the court. No one's even there yet." Kiyoshi suggested to Aomine with a pat on his shoulder. Aomine, along with Sakurai, Kiyoshi and Hyuuga stepped out of the locker, leaving the two alone to speak.

Kagami leaned against the locker with arms crossed with his gaze now turned to the ground. This silence continued for another minute until he exhaled his breath. "Why didn't you tell me—" Kagami started abruptly, pinching his intense brows together. "Why didn't you tell _us_ that you weren't scouted? Or even not even going to try out for the team at all?" By now, Kagami mustered enough courage to finally fasten his eyes on those cerulean eyes of Kuroko's.

Kuroko stared from his seated position on the bench. The past few days of practicing for today's game, Kagami was not present until yesterday. Even with his presence, Kuroko could sense how short he was toward him before and after their play. "I was going to, Kagami-kun. I just didn't know the right time to say it." His voice sank toward the end, and Kagami clicked his tongue with half lidded eyes.

"So were you just going to leave me hanging there by myself? I remember clearly it was you who said I couldn't do this alone. I still want you to help me—to help _all_ of us become the best in Japan." Kagami firmly pressed on, and by now, Kuroko averted his gaze, staring down at his closed hands over his knees. Of course he wanted that still, but high school and college basketball were two different worlds apart, and he wouldn't argue with fate.

He could feel Kagami pull away from the metal lockers and settle to the open space next to him on the bench. Another brief silence was formed between the two. Kuroko could see the shift of Kagami's legs as one hung loosely over the ground while the other was planted firmly. He could hear Kagami catch his breath, taking another moment before replying, "You're my best friend, baka. We're going to need you if we're going to be number one."

Azure eyes widen, and Kuroko turned to stare up at his partner who wore his teeth baring grin all too well. After a small chuckle, Kagami ruffled Kuroko's hair and stood up with his hands over his hips. Kuroko returned with a bright smile escaping his usual vacant face. "As you are as well, Kagami-kun. Thank you."

The maroon eyed male nodded his head in acknowledgement before leading the way out of the locker room.

The hallway separating the locker room from Tokyo University's basketball court was rather vast, and it reminded the two of the structure of the metropolitan gymnasium. Overwhelming anxiety and excitement grew within the shadow player all at once. This was a familiar feeling just like the first time he played in the first string game back in Teikō.

He sighed deeply, now wasn't the time to let his tension get the best of him. Toward one side of the full court, practice shots were being made by familiars of Kuroko while there were other unknown individuals huddled toward the bench, pulling out practice jerseys from a cardboard box planted beside the bench.

"Ah, Kagami-san!" A pleasant voice greeted, now breaking away from distributing the jerseys to each player.

Kuroko had no doubt that this individual was Hajime himself. He carried himself with great confidence; his head held high with a stride that bared no hesitation no matter who was in front of him. Long blond hair was tied into a low bun toward the back, leaving some wavy length hanging over to each side of his face. His height was that of Kagami's, but intimidation radiated off Hajime relatively greater than crimson's own animalistic aura. Uncovered from his white tank top was three-fourths of his left and right arm tattooed with well-known folklore demons read in various mythology textbooks Kuroko picked up years before. Hajime too, was a power forward for his respective team leaving his width a tad bit greater than Kagami and Aomine's own physique.

"As soon as Hyuuga-san informed me of playing a practice match, I had to get everyone together immediately for this." Hajime stated with his hands over his hips. His aquamarine irises lidded slightly with a bold grin over his face as he shook Kagami's hand firmly. His personality definitely didn't match his appearance, and Kuroko was slightly taken aback by this.

Kagami shot a smile back, releasing his hand before replying, "I can't wait to get started. You won't be disappointed."

Another body made their way into Hajime's greeting. He emulated Rakuzan's former center Nebuya, exceeding Hajime in both height and width. He scratched his corn rows in boredom, already tired of the conversation being held. Shifting his brown eyes around, he caught sight of Kuroko and jumped back slightly at his ghostly appearance. "Who are you?" His gruff voice questioned with an accent that showed his first language was picked up from elsewhere. This turned Hajime's attention the phantom player below.

Hajime seemed stunned for a brief moment, and he brushed the left side of his bangs behind his ear before extending his arm out for a handshake. "I apologize, I didn't even see you there. My name is Hajime Sougo."

"My name is Kuroko Tetsuya." Returned the phantom player as he accepted Hajime's strong handshake.

"Ah!" The larger man piped up, "weren't you the water boy of team Seirin? I don't really recognize you." Kagami lowered his eyes, this guy was definitely the epitome of the phrase, 'all brawn but no brains.'

"Kuroko has always been one of our starters." Kagami bluntly replied, sending the large man's head back slightly.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were here to play as well, Kuroko-san." Hajime stated slowly with his brows raised up and blinking down at the azure haired male.

The center of Hajime's team began to bellow in laughter, his head shooting up rather dramatically. He looked back down at Kuroko as if his mouth was on wrong and jeered, "You're saying that this guy is going up against us?"

"Is there a problem with that?" The husky voice of Aomine questioned from behind, and Kuroko felt heavy weight slouch over him, with a bronzed hand hanging over his shoulder laxly. The center lost his sense of facetious wit and withdrew mouth into closure at Aomine's harsh question. Kuroko glanced up at Aomine, who kept his glare at the opponent in front of him.

"Aomine Daiki." Introduced the navy haired male simply to the center before him. He presented his usual smirk over his narrow face as he still lingered over the shadow player's shoulder.

"Vince Anderson. I definitely know who you are." The center replied, now turning his eyes back down at Kuroko. "Why did you bring this scrub here? There's no way that this guy is playing." He snorted. By then, Hyuuga and the others entered the conversation, now with Aida and Momoi present as well behind the heated conversation at hand. Concern was obviously present within their features, but none chose to enter the fray just yet.

"To show you that your team forgot to recruit some more talent."

Anderson drew his head back in surprise and snorted while viewing how speechless Tetsu seemed to be under this pressure. "It's not up to you to decide who we recruit."

Aomine tilted his head to the side, his lips exposing a sly grin. His furrowed brows were enough to draw the player back slightly. "How about this," Aomine began boldly, nudging Kuroko's frame closer to him a bit too roughly. "Let Tetsu play, or you all can just count me out altogether." There was no sarcasm in his voice as that was said, and this sent the whole court into a brief silence.

Breaking the silence was Sakurai stepping closer to the two, apologizing tenfold for Aomine's actions. Beside him, Hyuuga stood with gritted teeth and was about to cut into the discussion. This definitely wasn't the first impression he'd imagine.

"You can't be serious about that…" The foreign player crossly spoke, only curling Aomine's grin wider than ever. Hajime raised his hand to his teammates shoulder, turning his brown eyes down toward the captain.

"Settle down there." Hajime suggested coolly, now turning his attention back to Aomine and Kuroko who was at a loss for words so it seemed. "I'm very interested in this. Let me get you a jersey, Kuroko-san." Hajime smiled at how insistent Aomine was about this individual, and he turned to grab a practice jersey for the azure haired male.

Lining up toward the opposing side of the court was a team consisting of every individual from their study night all except for Hyuuga.

"Smooth move, hot shot." Kagami seethed over to Aomine's direction during mid-stretch of his hamstrings. Aomine blinked over to him with a scoff, placing both hands over his hips, then over to the frail skinned shadow player beside him.

Aomine's sharp eyelids lost a little harshness as he saw the nerves through Kuroko's façade presented. "That Vince guy started it. Besides, he doesn't know who he's dealing with. Tetsu has the greatest strength out of all of us right now." Curious, Kuroko, along with their teammates stared at Aomine quizzically. Over all the eyes staring at Aomine, his indigo irises were reserved only over Kuroko's. Tetsu flushed slightly, trying to conceal it with brushing his bangs back over his head. "You have two lights as your partners now."

At that moment, all anxiety built inside from Kuroko vanished. Each of his teammates gave him small words of encouragement. All the last minute training they've focused on was all for this play, and the shadow player felt that he _will_ make their heads turn as soon as he started on the court. "I've never felt more ready than I do right now." Kuroko stated with no waver in his voice.

"Give it your best, Kuroko." Hyuuga encouraged, passing their team and filling in as the last starter for the opponent's team. The shooting guard nodded to them with a smirk. He knew each one of them would deliver an exceptional game for Hajime.

Kagami let out a chortle, and lined up with everyone at the center of the line. Raising a clenched hand, each member gave a firm fist bump to each other before Kagami stepped forward for the tip off. Hajime followed suit, his verdant orbs gleaming with excitement. Momoi held the basketball in hand, bending at the knees to prepare to throw it up.

"Brace yourselves." She informed. Seconds passed, and as soon as Aida sounded off the opening whistle, both men leaped off the wooden floorboards with Kagami being the successful of the two to swat the orange ball to his respective team. Hajime smirked, indeed very curious to how this was going to play out.

Sakurai clutched the ball firmly in hand and proceeded to their basket, stopping abruptly at the three point line. Through the wave of his long bangs swishing through his vision, he saw the hoop clearly and released the ball with Hyuuga just seconds ahead to knock the ball from his fingertips. Sakurai gasped, stunned by the exceptional recovery. Hyuuga shot Sakurai a smirk before landing to return to the other side of the court.

Dribbling the ball gracefully through the court was now Hajime. The light heartedness shone in his eyes disappeared, leaving his sharp eyes emitting a dangerous glare to those opposing his play. Hyuuga has warned the others of his fierce tenacity, but this didn't mean that Aomine or Kagami wouldn't double guard him. Hajime came at a halt with his eyes shifting between the two. The opposing pair were just as equally unyielding as the captain with no smirk on their face as shown before the game started. As soon as Hajime started with a crossover, both of their hands shot out in full guard.

"Let's see how I can get out of this one." Challanged Hajime in a low voice, before his eyes fastened to Kagami on his right hand side. As Hajime dribbled the ball to his right hand, impulse told Kagami to bolt for a steal. Just as a flash of lightning, Hajime Sougo switched levels of speed and drew the ball back to his left hand to fake Kagami out his line of fire before bouncing the ball between Aomine's legs to quarter turn out of his guard.

Aomine swore that he wouldn't let him pass his guard, especially within the start of the game. And here it happened, all too quickly in fact. The navy haired male spun around with constricting pupils as he darted toward Hajime fiercely.

Almost reaching the net, he saw the Iron Heart Kiyoshi more than ready to make up for the guard that was just broken through. Pausing at this next obstacle, the blond haired man bounced the ball over the court before attempting to grasp it within both hands.

In that moment, there was an odd presence behind Hajime Sougo.

He felt a tip of one's finger reach toward the ball, _almost_ enough to ruin his entire play. Hajime barely recovered himself before turning around briefly to see cobalt eyes marked over his own. The captain leapt for the shot with no preparation hitting Kiyoshi's attention until it was all too late. With the swish of the basketball landing past the net, Hajime now turned to face Kuroko with questioning eyes. _How did I not notice him amongst the other two around me?_ Hajime pushed back strands of hair behind his head and let out a chuckle.

He was very curious about the phantom player's abilities. As soon as squeaks of multiple shoes were heard, Hajime started to turn with a nod of acknowledgement. "Let's see what you've got."

Even though Hajime was already turned, Kuroko nodded his head with determination and started toward the others ahead. Kagami wiped off some sweat already accumulated over his forehead before turning down to his shadow. "Hyuuga wasn't kidding when he said he's on the same level as the Generation of Miracles. Or even greater than that…"

"Keep your mouth hanging open like that and a bug is going to fly in." Aomine sneered to Kagami as he kept his gaze locked toward the blond ace of their opposing team. "No one said this was going to be an easy win." The burgundy haired male snorted at his snide remark, replacing it immediately with a smirk toward Hajime as well.

"Challenges such as this is what makes it all even more exciting." Kuroko added, turning both power forward players to their shadow between them. The will of perseverance burned through Kuroko's oval orbs and Aomine fastened his eyes to him in wonder as they stopped before the next play resumed. Tetsu's attitude completely changed from how hesitant he was before to the determination now coursing through his veins. Aomine loved it.

"Let's go!" Kiyoshi called out now commencing the next play as he threw the ball to Kagami to start. Kagami began making his way to the other side of the court, exchanging glances between Aomine, Kuroko, Kiyoshi, and Sakurai with a grin before locking eyes with their obstacle straight ahead. That obstacle being Hajime Sougo who awaited their play.

The fourth quarter almost drew to a close when Aida whistled for the final time out. All players made their way to her. Drenched in sweat. Panting heavily. This practice match had much more intensity than their game against team Jabberwock. With each player lining up, the most exasperated out of all of them and bent over with hands over his knees was Kuroko. Aida's eyes shifted in worry, knowing all too well that he was indeed at his limit.

"If only we had bench players, I would've subbed you halfway through to rest…" She murmured with her hand clutched to her whistle.

"No." Managed Kuroko through heavy pants, now looking up with furrowed brows. Through strands of azure hair over his face, Aida could see his will in his orbs not falter, and he slowly straightened up, running his hand through his unruly hair. "I'm not finished yet." He turned over to the scoreboard reading the red artificial flash of numbers of eighty-one to eighty-five in favor of their opposing team.

"Hajime-kun is definitely giving us a run for our money." Seirin's former coach noted, thinking back to how fast the captain caught up to the motions of Kuroko's misdirection even with his teammates unable to fully process his basketball yet. Moves such as the ignite pass were only successful a several times before he caught on to the trick. The same instance fell when using the vanishing drive, though Hajime seemed impressed, the tactic alone wasn't enough. Throughout this last quarter, Hajime has kept his mark over Tetsu.

Hajime's green eyes only perceived that he was out of options, but Kuroko saw it as his one last opportunity to make him realize he was absolutely wrong.

Kiyoshi gave a hearty pat to Kuroko's back from behind and shifted his eyes to the board as well. "Our last trump card is your misdirection overflow. This is our one and only shot." Kiyoshi spoke with overflowing confidence now turning down to the phantom player below.

Kuroko's gaze shifted over to the other side of the court, his cerulean eyes meeting with the aquamarine eyes of Hajime who held his gaze over him. Hajime stood tall, with a smirk that never betrayed his confidence, and eyes that demanded for him to continue his fight.

Aida's wry features faded into an assured smile. "We're relying on you now, Kuroko-kun." She announced, sending her hand in for a cheer before being dismissed back to the court. Aida and Momoi sat back down within the bench and watched the men contently.

"Somehow, I feel like Tetsu-kun will really turn their heads around." Momoi spoke with content. Aida Riko smiled in return, crossing one leg over her thigh as she stared over to a particular trio up ahead.

Aida could see Aomine's hands lift in a clenched fist down to Kuroko's left hand side. The exchange was reciprocated between the two followed by the closed right hand of Kuroko's exchanging fist bumps with Kagami. Riko's smile grew wider, fond of the outcome of their teamwork together, and replied contently, "With those three together, I _know_ for a fact they'll be able to do it."

The whistle sounded off to commence the rest of the game. Immediately the ball was in possession of Kagami Taiga who wasted no time to bolt off toward to the other side of the court. He brushed by their buzzed cut point guard with a fake before Hyuuga rushed forward, closing the distance toward him along with another member of their team. Drawing to a pause, this was no time to try and calculate how to evade their advances.

Sakurai waved both arms frantically, now leaving Kagami to pass to the shooting guard. Sakurai immediately turned to settle the play. Sensing Hyuuga recovering from behind, Sakurai leapt for the shot. There was no prep, or even a chance of succession. Luckily, a three point shot wasn't his intention at all. Toward the basket, Aomine was seen running to finish off the play. Suddenly the chestnut eyes of Sakurai's were seen shrink wrapped in doubt, as Hajime swatted the ball from Aomine's reach for an alley-oop.

"Defense! Don't let them make this shot!" Aomine snarled landing on the ground to rush back. The free ball almost landed in the hands of the opposing team's point guard when a light toned hand stole the ball. Kuroko immediately drew the ball over to Kagami who was now guarded by Hajime who was insanely quick to return.

A flash of blue appeared through Hajime's blind spot.

Fixing his gaze back to the burgundy haired male, he was nowhere to be seen. Verdant eyes constricted and he immediately whirled around to find the Kagami already advancing to the basket, ending the play with a meteor jam. Anderson stood stunned by the play along with all the others besides Hyuuga who shot them a smirk.

Hajime's eyes were fixed on Kuroko briefly, studying the exhausted azure haired male in shock. Clearly there was more to him than he'd ever realize, and he let out a laugh, turning everyone's attention toward him. "That was something else." Hajime stated bewildered at his new tactic. The man turned his head to the timer reading less than two minutes and he narrowed her verdant orbs. He was quite surprised that these individuals fresh from high school were _this_ close. If Kuroko wasn't playing, could they have gotten this far at all? "Well let's wrap this up, shall we?"

All tension from before had led to this very moment here. Right now, a three pointer would need to be secured in order for this win to take place. The struggle of gaining solid ground between both teams was eminent as there were two consecutive steals within the last play. The first steal took place with a vanishing drive performed by Kagami, but was unfortunately stolen by their point guard.

Making their way more than halfway through the court, he was guarded by both Sakurai as well as Hyuuga. Seeing this as the only single opportunity to strike, Sakurai made the second steal, now driving the ball back toward their basket.

"Don't let them deliver!" Now shouted Hajime. This was the first instance where his composure faltered slightly. Momoi and Satsuki now stood from the bench, anxious on the final seconds left on the timer. Sakurai was immediately double teamed by Hyuuga as well as another player. Cursing inwardly, he darted his eyes frantically around and caught sight of Kuroko who was not at all guarded.

Once the ball was thrown, Kuroko caught it with the little strength he had left. Now turning around, a pair of green eyes locked with his own. Overhead stood Hajime in full guard with his lips pressed in a firm line. There was nothing friendly about his change in attitude. Kuroko caught his breath, finding that the rest of his teammates were caught within each opponents guard.

The shadow player pressed his lips together firmly, now readying for a phantom shot. Hajime grinned, knowing that the chances of getting passed him were slim at his level of fatigue. The leap of faith took place, and to the captain's shock, the ball indeed seemed to have _vanished_ over his hand continue onward to the basket. Kuroko's eyes faltered at the trajectory of ball, knowing all too well that it was not going to make it through the basket.

This was merely an act of desperation.

Kiyoshi gritted his teeth as Anderson overpowered the center greatly. The foreign player grinned widely, readying his arm to smack the ball away.

"Not a _fucking_ chance!"

Aomine leapt through the air viciously, now clamping the ball with his long fingertips and loomed over the center with a grin as he slammed the ball within the basket. Once planted on the ground, the final buzzer sounded off. The sounds of pants were heard through the entire court, and the navy haired male turned around to face the individuals behind him. Especially Hajime.

The captain's lips parted slightly as he looked toward the scoreboard. They ended in a tie. These individuals just leaving high school had their team end the entire game in a _tie_. His eyes shifted to Kuroko who knelt at the knees catching his breath. There was definitely more to this player than it seemed. Darting his eyes past him, he could see Aomine with his hands over his hips with a light grin over his face.

All players stood lined up at the center of the court, and as soon as they thanked their opposing sides for the opportunity of playing, footsteps were heard from the entrance of the gymnasium making their way over to their direction.

The man was ages older than all of the other males drawn toward the center, his hair was fashioned in a crew cut with a pronounced stern expression resting over the features of his face. He was no taller than Sakurai, but the strides he took made him much bigger than his appearance actually shown. "That was quite a game you all played. I barely made it for the beginning of the second half, but I could tell that everyone gave it their best." He stated in a gruff voice.

Hajime nodded, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I couldn't agree more, Coach Kotarou." Came his reply as he fastened his eyes over to each player before falling over Kuroko. A shuffle of feet were heard by Anderson who now glared over at the shadow player as well.

"I apologize for what I said before." He expressed in a soft murmur now shifting his eyes between Aomine and Kuroko. Finally composing himself from the pounding of his chest, Kuroko held out his hand for a handshake to which Anderson accepted.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to play." Kuroko replied and bowed his head with all sincerity. Aomine also shook hands with the center, expressing that there were no hard feelings for what took place before the game even started.

After the team bowed to each other before dismissal, the coach pulled Hajime to the side to speak privately. Everyone went to their respective benches for a brief close out by Momoi and Riko before making their way to the locker room. Turning around, Kuroko noticed the exchanges of glances made by Coach Kotarou as well as Hajime. A nod of the older man's head was visible and Hajime made his way over to their direction undoing the low bun from his hair and letting fall past his shoulders.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." Hajime started, with his hands over his hips as he stopped in front of his opposing team. Each one ceased their chatter to see where this conversation was going. "You're a very interesting guy. I'd like to see you at tryouts." The request was stated proudly with a grin. Hajime raised his hand toward Kuroko for a firm handshake. The words took moments for the shorter male to process. Oval eyes beamed with delight and he wasted not another second to return the gratitude.

"Thank you so much, captain." Kuroko let out with a slight hitch in his voice before bowing his head to the senior before him. He didn't know if he was just exhausted or just overjoyed internally; either way, this all felt as a dream to the azure haired male. After straightening his posture, Hajime gave a brief nod to the others beside the players beside Kuroko.

"Thank you for the game, Hyuuga-san. I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon." Hajime closed out, now turning heel to return to his respective team.

A brief silence was noted before everyone bombarded Kuroko with praise whether it was a nudge to the side or a hearty ruffle of the hair. Within this moment, everything they worked for in so little time had paid off. Kuroko pulled away from the nudges and exchanges and turned to everyone's grinning face.

Out of character of his normal poised behavior, Kuroko flashed a rare smile; with oval cerulean eyes lidded in satisfaction, his teeth shown through his slight lips. This was a rare sight for anyone to ever witness, but here Kuroko was, momentarily ignoring the fatigue latching his body and overjoyed by the offer presented to him.

Aomine's grin faltered slightly; mesmerized by the uncommon feature boring over Kuroko's expression. His shadow was exceptional with his play today. All his strength, sweat, and entire being was laid out over the basketball court. There was no doubt that Kuroko had a rather unique style of basketball. His shear willpower to never falter made up for his lack of skill set compared to everyone in his team. In the brink of inevitable loss, Kuroko never gave up hope on the courts; and Aomine continued to admire that trait about the phantom player.

Cobalt eyes suddenly flashed toward Aomine's navy orbs, and Kuroko let out a laugh as he nodded his head to the ace with gratitude. From the squint of Testu's eyes, to the small heaves of his chest with every light laugh exhaled, Aomine Daiki refused to let himself forget such an expression from the shadow.

* * *

The metal clamps of various lockers being shut were echoed through the room as the males begin to make their exit out. Kagami threw on his flannel over his white shirt before hoisting his bag over his shoulder. Stepping out with Sakurai and their seniors, he held the door momentarily to call out to the others inside. "We're going to check out the campus for a bit. Hurry up and give us a call so we can get something to eat."

"Yeah, yeah, we hear you." Came an idle reply from Aomine over the sound of shower water falling before him. Hearing the door close, he raked a hand over his navy short hair to remove the lather of conditioner.

God, was he drained.

Aomine let out a deep sigh before grabbing his soap to give a quick scrub over his body. A small chuckle was emitted through the opening space of the lockers up ahead.

"I can absolutely sympathize, Aomine-kun." Kuroko also breathed out reluctantly, and Aomine let out a snort.

"I can already tell that practice is going to be troublesome with Hajime telling us what to do." Aomine added, already grimacing at the thought of the long, grueling practices awaiting them. He turned the knob off and reached for his towel hanging over a metal latch next to the shower. Silence filled the locker just briefly with only the sounds of clothing being outfitted by Tetsu.

"That was quite a reckless bluff you taunted them with earlier." The shorter male stated softly, but just enough for Aomine to hear over the empty space of the room separating the two. Aomine ruffled the towel through his head before proceeding on with the rest of his frame.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you wouldn't even consider joining the basketball team if they didn't let me play. What if they still didn't permit it?" Questioned Kuroko carefully. Aomine snorted at his explanation and began to change.

"It wasn't a bluff, Tetsu. They were bound to see your style sooner or later." He spoke with overwhelming confidence. Aomine shifted his eyes to the opening beyond the showering quarters only to view Kuroko in the midst of dragging up his jeans over his legs. He turned his head away immediately, feeling a sense of taboo for catching that glimpse.

A thoughtful hum was heard through Kuroko before replying, "Well then, thank you for considering me, Aomine-kun." This wasn't the first time that Aomine has betted his sacrifice for Tetsu. The shadow recalled their first game shared together on the courts and how the ace pleaded for their coach to have Kuroko remain within the game. Kuroko sighed at the memory. Right. Reckless was the perfect word to describe Aomine Daiki.

Aomine secured the latch of his belt over his dark denim jeans upon his waist before rummaging through his bag to retrieve his tank top. He opened his mouth to speak, no audible formation of words were heard due to him finding the right words to describe his reasoning. "I think of this as a second chance, so to say. I'm not going to throw all of it away this time." His voice was husky, but so sincere toward his partner just up ahead. The sounds of changing had stopped and Aomine drew his head up from his bag to see the turn of Tetsu's torso toward Aomine's direction.

His arms were dove into a striped shirt seemingly about to place it over his upper body. Through the distance between the two in the locker room, Aomine caught the shorter male's genuine smile. He could tell by Kuroko's azure eyes that he was thankful for his kind words without having to physically state them. After moments of their brief exchange, Kuroko turned back to slip on his shirt overhead.

Aomine kept his eyes on him, dropping his own shirt he had in hand. Straightening up his posture, he observed his partner from his backside, viewing the shifts of his rear deltoids as he drew the shirt over his head. Navy irises narrowed in slight, taking in how fair his skin seemed to look within his orbs. The taller male carefully made his way over to his partner in long strides.

A smile such as that couldn't be ignored by Aomine. Though he didn't imagine what he was about to do to take place in a locker room, he just couldn't hold back from Tetsu any longer than he has for the few past months. This was an opportunity that Aomine was sure as hell going to take.

Closing the locker before him, Kuroko was ready to turn around when a bronzed hand landed gently over the metal locker beside his head. Tetsu blinked in surprise, now turning his head finding that Aomine was too close to see. And that he was indeed shirtless. His managed to turn the rest of his figure around to look up at the tanned man's eyes. Indigo irises were firm over Kuroko's with a slight softness overtaking the creases of his eyebrows.

Kuroko froze in place.

The pace of his heart was racing as Aomine's other hand cupped his cheek; strands of azure hair caught in between various callouses of Aomine's palm. Kuroko found his lips unconsciously parted slightly, and he glanced down at Aomine's figure before back to his eyes in fluster. He could feel his cool breath lingering over his skin as the taller male closed the distance between the two.

It was all happening again.

Aomine's breath trailed over Kuroko's lips with subtle hesitance before touching his lips over his own ever so gently. Kuroko gasped lightly, feeling those lips graze over his own momentarily. With eyes shut, Aomine barely turned Kuroko's head to secure his lips over the slight ones of Kuroko's. The kiss was soft, and gentle over his lips. Tetsu could feel his face burning red. After a passing moment that felt like ages, Aomine withdrew from his kiss, pressing his forehead over his partner as his hand went from Kuroko's cheek to the back of his head.

Soft breaths were heard from the taller of the two, and he opened his mouth to speak. "I need you to do me a favor, Tetsu." Aomine whispered, brushing his fingertips through Kuroko's hair in turn, making the light skin of Kuroko's shiver. Kuroko opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn't manage to find his voice to speak, let alone _breathe._ Aomine continued, his hand now trailing down to his neck. "I want to be with you, Tetsu. Please tell me you want the same."

Aomine could see the quiver in Tetsu's lips. His body, rigid as stone with his arms side by side. He assumed for this to be Kuroko's first kiss. Aomine drew his hand back up to the locks of unruly azure hair as he patiently waited for a reply.

"You…" Kuroko's voice trailed off softly and he took in a small gulp before continuing. "You could've worded it a bit more romantically, Aomine-kun." Hesitantly, Kuroko drew up one arm and placed it firmly over Aomine's broad chest while the other gripped over his shoulder with nervous tension. "But looking past that, I would also like that as well." Those words were almost inaudible as he averted the taller of the two's gaze. Aomine let out a chuckle, enjoying how bashful Kuroko was in this moment.

Roughly pressing both bodies up against the crisp metal lockers, Aomine withdrew his free arm from the side of the locker and placed it underneath Tetsu's chin to force his gaze upon him. His cheeks blossomed crimson, with eyes that were curious but also willing to give in to the ace. Aomine once again closed the distance, now feeling Tetsu unconsciously rise to his toes to meet him for the kiss.

Kuroko closed his eyes, losing inhibition continue to fight his nerves. Both noses bumped against each other softly. The exchange was so awkward, so innocent, and a smile crept toward the corner of Aomine's lips before he secured his chin firmly with his fingertips to steal Tetsu's lips within his own.

Aomine breath grew thicker through each kiss. He withdrew his hand from Kuroko's chin and placed it over Tetsu's waist as he lifted his shirt up to trace his hand over his abdomen and oblique. Aomine crept the mouth of his partner's open and explored his tongue through his mouth gently. A jolt was felt through the smaller male, but Aomine continued mapping out the inside crevices between each kiss. Hesitantly, Kuroko returned this notion, brushing his own tongue over Aomine's.

The taller of the two groaned in return of the exchange and brushed Tetsu's hair behind his forehead before biting his lower lip to draw him closer. Kuroko shuddered, his hands tightening on Aomine's solid figure. Both hands manage to trail up to Aomine's vast shoulders as the bronzed male continued; stealing Kuroko's breath away with each demanding kiss.

Kuroko's head was spinning.

He was sure that Aomine figured that this was the first time that he's ever had this kind of contact. Aomine was so _strong_ from the way he held the smaller male against the locker, to how he directed each kiss, to the way he explored each muscle of his waist with his large hand. He was—

The vibration of Kuroko's phone sounded off on the metal bench next to the two. Kuroko slowly withdrew from Aomine's further advances and glanced over to his phone to read Kagami's name on the caller ID. "Ah…" Kuroko started breathlessly, feeling Aomine's lips kissing his cheek before moving down to his jaw line. "I'm sure Kagami-kun is waiting on us with the others." Kuroko managed let out with a shudder, releasing a soft exhale from the way Aomine delivered each kiss.

A low hum emitted through the taller male as he drew back with his forehead resting against Tetsu's own once more. "That guy sure knows how to spoil things." Aomine murmured softly before withdrawing his head to stare down at his partner. Kuroko blinked in slight embarrassment as he released Aomine's shoulders slowly. "Your face is unbelievably red. "Aomine commented slyly with a smirk, dodging a fist Tetsu brought forth before turning to put on his black tank top and grab the rest of his belongings.

Kuroko was at a loss for words at the moment, still stunned by everything that just occurred. As the smaller male reached the doorway, he felt Aomine's hand tenderly over his shoulder, and Kuroko turned to face him with his lips still pursed from his embarrassment. Aomine flashed him a grin before opening the door for his shadow. "You were amazing today, Tetsu."

Kuroko felt his own face's heat rise once again, but managed a small smile to his partner. "As you were as well."

Making their way out of the corridors of the locker room, Aomine could the vacant face of Tetsu's marked red. He snickered before ruffling the azure mop of hair of Tetsu's hair to draw his attention away from how timid he felt within this moment. Oval eyes blinked up to him before returning a shove and Aomine closed both arms into a light head lock as he raked his hand through the other's head before Kuroko attempted to push him off.

At this very moment, their bond was now something greater than what they had back in Teikō. Their intimate moment just shared minutes ago made sure of that change between both light and shadow.

* * *

 **Note** : Wow, I didn't realize how insane writing out a basketball scene truly is. I told myself that I wouldn't make this chapter so lengthy, but it didn't work out that way obviously. Exams are coming up so the next chapter may be delayed for a bit until that purgatory is over. Again, thank you so much for the read!


	5. Bottled Violence

**The Color of Rain**

 **Disclaimers** : I do not own any piece of work deriving from the manga or anime adaptations of Kuroko no Basuke.

 **Bottled Violence**

There was no way in hell that this man looked like he belonged within a place like this. With each passing moment, a certain bronzed skinned individual had to let out various whispers of abrupt apologies for brushing his gym bag over passerby's within each isle he passed. His eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

There was no way Aomine Daiki belonged within a library.

His eyes darted through each isle searching for a distinct mop of azure hair. Within this moment, Aomine was thankful for his height as he veered over the heads of everyone crowded over each section of the book isle. He cursed to himself, realizing that it was only the second week since the semester has started, so of course students were still ravaging through the school library trying to accommodate their materials together.

An exasperated sigh was released into the air as he sauntered to the opening of the library. _I could've sworn he told me he was working today._ Aomine shrugged his shoulders up to adjust his bag and now stared up toward the spiral staircase above the first floor. Indigo irises shifted into a dark gaze as he realized he still had two more floors to check within.

A 'do not enter' notice was placed over one isle of the library's third floor as rows of book were laid on the ground waiting to be placed within their respective shelf location of the bookcase. There was a sound of an adjustment of glasses being made, followed by a contented exhale.

The library was a sanctuary to Kuroko Tetsuya.

Today would mark a week's worth of work for him. The vacant faced male first started off checking each student's textbooks out for rental. However, a large unusual formation of a line would occur due to various students never acknowledging his presence to continue for check out. This posed a problem for him, therefore, moving him to return books to their shelves. Though he was always kind to those who rarely noticed his presence, he favored keeping to himself. He preferred this type of work.

Kuroko picked up the next set of books and began to arrange them in order on the shelf based on the author's last name. Before picking up the next set, he found his lips curling into a frown as dust crept unto the material of his grey long sleeve. He wiped it off of both the sweater and his buttoned up white shirt underneath it before checking the time.

Ever since the semester has begun, there was no room for outings with his friends. Each class syllabus was demanding with material to bring in as well as assigning multitudes of homework to be completed for the following lecture class. His eyes narrowed in slight.

There had barely been room to see Aomine Daiki.

Each morning, the navy haired male would meet Tetsu at his apartment before walking together to school. During the day, their classes revolved around opposite schedules, with one occupied with a current class as the other was on break. Even during tryouts, there was no time for interaction. Now today after practice, he had to bid Aomine farewell in order to make it on time for work.

Kuroko pursed his lips.

He was on the tip of his toes trying to place a book within the highest shelf of the bookcase. His eyebrows contorted slightly, internally cursing his height, but also frustrated at his thought just moments ago. The phantom player jumped lightly in order to place the book within the shelf, but even that momentum didn't work within his favor. He exhaled lightly before struggling again to place it overhead.

A large tanned hand from behind gently grabbed the book from behind and easily placed it on the respective shelf with ease. Kuroko turned his head to see Aomine behind him with a smirk. "Having some trouble, Tetsu?" He jeered, now taking a step back to allow some room for the other male to maneuver through. Kuroko pushed the glass frames over the bridge of his nose before turning his entire frame around toward Aomine.

"I already hold a grudge with these shelves." Kuroko deadpanned, glancing over the tall shelves before turning back to Aomine. "You're lucky for your height, Aomine-kun."

A small chuckle was emitted by the taller male before looking at the time above the wall across from them. "I start work today. I'll be heading to Teikō soon before their afternoon practice starts. " Aomine stated, signaling to the azure haired male that he was going to leave soon. Kuroko turned his gaze elsewhere, going back to his thought about barely having any outing time. "If you're not too busy after with studying after work, would you want to hang out tonight?"

Kuroko's eyes fastened back to Aomine's with a small glow of anticipation boring through his orbs. "I would like that very much." Kuroko released a small smile before turning to the side to pick up another set of books—books that he ensured that didn't have to be placed within an obscene height of a shelf.

There was something about the last novel that peaked Kuroko's interest. He took a moment to view the first couple of pages of the book before skimming through the first paragraph. The taller male didn't mind how his attention was easily shifted unto something else. In fact, he loved how Tetsu was always one to bury himself within a book, he loved how he looked forward to all the words encompassed in each novel. As intelligent as he was handsome, it just further amplified how mystifying Kuroko Tetsuya truly is to Aomine.

Sensing no one else approaching, Aomine brought his hand over the side of Kuroko's waist, firmly drawing the smaller male against him. There was a shift of surprise felt from Tetsu as his head began to turn. Aomine craned his neck down toward Kuroko with eyes almost lidding into closure to greet those slight lips with his own before a book was met with his face. Drawing his head back in surprise, he saw Kuroko's eyes in a glare too fierce for his own good.

"We're in the library. What are you, some dirty old man?" Kuroko spoke crossly, a hint of crimson making his way toward his alabaster skin. Aomine laughed lightly, releasing Tetsu to shift the bag over his shoulders before eyeing his partner up and down.

"I can't help it when you're looking like a scholar and all. That really gets me, know what I mean?" Aomine asked slyly, his lips widening in a crooked grin.

"Don't say things I don't understand." Kuroko replied impassively as he set the books down on the shelf to face Aomine head on, trying look displeased but not receiving the acknowledgement he was looking for. The taller of the two could see Tetsu's glasses once again slipping from his nose, and this time it was Aomine to adjust them for him. He gingerly pushed the joint shoulders of his frames back to his face before brushing pieces of his azure hair behind his ear. Kuroko shuddered, his expression now losing its firmness from just moments ago.

"Just call me when you're out, Tetsu." Aomine stated as he still wore his crooked grin and turned heel to leave. Persistence never failed when it came to Aomine Daiki dealing with Tetsu. He was brash, irrational, but the same time, fond of the vacant faced individual unlike ever before. After moments of calm deliberation, Kuroko shook his head with a small chuckle before picking up the next set of books.

 _You can be the most troublesome person at times, Aomine-kun._

* * *

An odd sensation swelled up within Aomine Daiki as he stood just feet away from Teikō. There was no explanation for this sudden tension within, but he digressed as he began making his way forward inside to the attendance office to check in. With his hand over the latch of the door, Aomine paused as he drew his head to the left. Beyond the building's infrastructure, he caught sight of the pathway leading out to the riverbed beside the gymnasium. The sudden feeling then hit him.

On that day years ago, it was also raining.

On that very day, he told Tetsu he couldn't do anything for himself. On that very day, he saw the way his azure eyes shrunk into doubt, with an expression showing the realization that in that moment, he lost Aomine. It was on that very day…

 _I've… already forgotten even how to receive your passes._

Aomine shook his head of the memory with pressed lips. If only he wasn't so selfish back then. If only he didn't lose his way. If only he'd listened to Kuroko those years ago, their separation wouldn't have occurred. Everything would've been different between both light and shadow if he didn't barricade himself away from him. Aomine drew in a breath now opening the door. With an exhale, he felt that nightmare of that rainy day pass through him. Right now, fate brought both partners together in ways that he'd never imagine, and he still had to remind himself daily that his Tetsu forgave him.

Checking into the main office, a rather disinterested woman was behind a monitor of a computer. Behind her tasteless glasses, she glanced up laxly at the bronzed male then back onto the screen before her. "Shirogan-kantoku, I'm assuming this was the individual you were waiting for?" She drawled as she kept her eyes on the monitor.

An enlightened hum was heard through the opening of the staff room just across the other side of the podium opening, and an older individual drew out of the opening, dressed formally in a business suit. His silver hair was slid back with no sign of a hair being misplaced. His face was calm even through the signs of profound aging. Even with the use of a cane, he held himself firmly as he moved through the hallway toward Aomine.

"It's been a long while, Aomine." Shirogan said pleasantly, extending one arm toward the former student. Aomine returned with a smile, and shook his hand in exchange.

"Yeah, it has been." Aomine didn't mean for the reply to sound so short. But it's been years since seeing each other face to face after he fell ill during his first year at Teikō. Aomine regarded the senior with much great respect despite the vigorous training regime he's put them all through years ago, and was surprised when he was contacted to help out with the team during basketball season.

Both males made their way through the hallway of the school, navigating themselves to the gymnasium just up ahead. "I appreciate you accepting this position on such short notice. I understand you've started school within Tokyo University?" The coach inclined, a grin warmly shaping through the corner of his lips. Aomine nodded his head with a shrug followed after.

"This works great with my school schedule. I should be thanking you for having me help out with the team." Aomine replied, now glancing over at one of the courts of the gymnasium. He was thankful that it wasn't the court that drew his thought back to that rainy evening.

"It's amazing how much time flies like a shoot of an arrow." The coach mused contently. They both continued to walk for a couple more feet before Aomine sensed the older man stop behind him. He turned around quizzically as he adjusted his bag over his shoulder.

Adorned over the wall of the corridor were framed photographs of previous seniors within the Teikō basketball club. Shirogan had his eye over one of the pictures in particular with a smile. Aomine squinted to view the particular picture of interest and recognized every individual within their first string team of his first year within the school. The center of the photograph featured himself with the familiar faces of the Generation of Miracles. He was so _different_ back then.

The usual comical grin. The strut of anticipation of wanting to practice basketball.

To think Aomine Daiki almost pushed basketball away completely those years ago.

"I'm glad to see that you haven't lost your way, Aomine. I know you'll be a valuable asset to your new team." The sincerity of the coach's words shot Aomine's head back slightly.

"I honestly don't know what to say." Aomine let out in a murmur. Back then, he _almost_ lost himself. Aomine blinked, immediately bowing his head shortly after what he stated felt was an embarrassing comment before adding, "Thank you, kantoku."

"I simply wanted to briefly catch up with you. I do have to get back to finishing up some paperwork for the team's last game I will have Sanada brief you on the student's performance. I hope you understand." Shirogan politely stated with both hands over his cane as he looked over his shoulder to see the other coach looking over at their direction. "Next week we'll talk some more." Aomine nodded abruptly before the older male turned to exit.

There was a sudden shift in change in the air that the young man felt now. Swarming through his head now were various memories that Aomine wished he could've changed from those years ago. Part of them was not giving Sanada such overwhelming anxiety once he was declared head coach. During that period was when his self-centered epiphany arose and he degraded everyone in his path.

"I'd like to thank you for your assistance. It'd be good to get a fresh perspective of the team." The coach had greeted, signaling Aomine to line up beside him to introduce him to the students in front of them. Aomine nodded his head, bringing his hands over his hips to glance down at the children. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Aomine Daiki. He will be working with you all for this upcoming season. Years ago he used to play within this same team, just as you all are right now. I implore you all to treat him with the upmost respect."

The students broke out in various whispers among each other about the man in front of them. Aomine could see flashes of intimidation from some, while others gawked in admiration that they were 'graced' with his laxly presence. Aomine cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. "Hmmm…" He began, not sure if how he took this whole 'assistant coach' role. "Let's set up a mini game, just so I can see how your play is. We'll follow up with critique after, I guess." All the students nodded their heads, now with Sanada distributing the jerseys out.

Aomine's eyes fell to one boy in particular. A raven haired boy who seemed absentminded in the way his gaze fell to the hardwood floors beneath him. There was no interest. No motivation. _Looks like we got a prima donna on our hands_.

Many thoughts swirled through Aomine's head as he sat within the bench observing the mini game of the students within the court. Thoughts of nostalgia. Memories of various practice games. His past interactions with his team,—he thought, glancing over to Sanada who was seated beside him—whether good or bad.

"Shirogan-kantoku and I have monitored your progress ever since you've left Teikō." Started the older male beside him. Tensioned silence filled the air between the two. Years ago after Sanada accepted Aomine's overwhelming potential and allowed him to miss practice, their relationship had stood at a standstill. At that time, Aomine considered himself above all else; and through Sanada's silent disapproval, all he could do was watch Aomine's foundation fall ever so slowly. Falling to the point where there was no light within him after reaching victory. "You've came a long way."

Aomine slouched forward, hunching his forearms over his knees as he studied the footwork of the students in front of him. He opened his mouth with brief hesitation before replying, "That means a lot coming from you, kantoku."

Sanada, with his deep brown hair with specks of silver lining now kept in a slid back fashion, and his appearance aging from years before, smiled at the reply Aomine presented. The air seemed to lose its rigid atmosphere, and Sanada relaxed his hands over the clipboard in hand. "I was very pleased when Shirogan-kontaku agreed with me that we should have you assist."

Aomine's brows arched up with curiosity. To find that this position was the idea of Sanada's surprised him greatly.

"These past years with the basketball club have been phenomenal for our school. As victory is still our main focus, so is teamwork. I believe it would benefit greatly by having you present." Aomine tried his best not to snort. He was the _last_ person out of their old team to be considered. "It was your last couple of games during the last Winter Cup that led me to this decision. I was very impressed with your performance with your team. Even with Tōō's loss toward the end, there was something about your last play that intrigued me."

Aomine let out a thoughtful exhale, blinking his eyes. Now that he thought about it, this was the very gymnasium where he met Kuroko Tetsuya; the supposed ghost of the basketball courts within the late evening. "I guess it was just finally realizing that I couldn't do this all alone." Aomine began, recalling back to that realization after the first year's Winter Cup. The navy haired male could feel a sudden shock arise from the senior's expression. "I also had a little help from an old teammate along the way. Guess you could say that I started on a clean slate with my basketball."

The coach continued to stare agape at his former student. The man Aomine Daiki was now differed greatly to how he carried himself years ago. Sanada could see a small smile curve from the corner of Aomine's lips as his gaze was absentminded from the play at hand. This old teammate. Sanada understood the help he received was in fact from Kuroko Tetsuya.

Aomine had to admit that their first interaction was somewhat of an awkward passing. With Kuroko's transparent presence to his quiet demeanor. Aomine perceived him as an odd, but interesting individual. Out of everyone within the team, he was the one to validate Kuroko as an actual person—not some student who fell within the third string of the basketball club. The navy haired ace admired Tetsu's hard work, he admired it so much that he trained with him each evening after practice. He encouraged Tetsu further in the midst of him giving up on basketball, and practiced with him until they were actually able to share the same court together. They practiced until the day Aomine was starting to change, to lose his love for basketball.

Aomine's eyes softened. In the midst of being alone, Tetsu was the same person to pull him out of that loathing and help him return his love for basketball. He was so weak back then; always the one to turn the cold shoulder toward his teammates, always the one to ridicule all in his passing. But Kuroko helped him stand tall again- not alone anymore, but with others beside him who shared the same love of basketball as he did.

Aomine shifted his eyes forward out of his recollection, now focusing on the student's once more. "All the players have very good footwork." Aomine commented, shooting the senior's gaze back to the game in front of them.

Navy brows rose questionably at one boy in particular. Out of all the students, he could sense that his mind was elsewhere with his delayed movements of passing, and executing the further play. "That black haired kid is in another world though."

"Ah, that right there is Nishino Hideaki, and I've already pulled him aside recently. He's experiencing some personal issues within his home." Sanada commented with a sigh. "He told me that he would come back from his sudden funk, but I know he needs more time to get his mind straight. We're only human after all."

Aomine remained his gaze over that particular student throughout the rest of the game.

* * *

A box of practice jerseys were left to the side of the bench by Sanada as the closure of the gymnasium was near. Exiting the locker room was Aomine Daiki who held the door open for the other two students before shutting it behind him. After recapping their mini game with Sanada, and having Aomine cover quick tips to improve their play, all students were able to place all the equipment away before showering to leave for the weekend. Aomine rested his bag next to the bench, shaking off the rest of the shower water from his short hair before casting his eyes over at the students next to him.

Sanada approached him from the side, placing a hand over his shoulder before stating, "Nishino's mother has requested for him to be picked up after daily practice, so if you could stay until everyone is dismissed with me, I would greatly appreciate it." Aomine nodded his head reluctantly before the senior proceeded to make sure that all the surrounding area was polished properly.

The time read past six in the evening, and Aomine was sure that Tetsu would be off work within another hour. He sat down, shifting his legs within his dark denim jeans in anticipation with the soles of his Air Jordan's bouncing unconsciously.

Aomine was the type of man not to plan ahead for anything. It wasn't his character to set up a time, or place. Whatever Tetsu wanted to do, he would just go with it. Aomine was just fine having Kuroko's company for all he cared, even if it was just leisurely speaking about anything and everything in particular over Maji Burger, or in between a one-on-one at the park courts. But if there was one thing that he would like right now, it was just for the night to make haste.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes watching him, and Aomine stopped all movement, fastening his eyes unto the dark haired boy he kept watch over during practice.

"You know you don't have to stay here. Itsuki will be here too since we're hanging out when we get picked up." Nishino spoke out in a mutter. Aomine's brows twitched at the boy's attitude already and he rolled up the sleeves of his black cardigan before crossing his arms.

"We got to make sure you're all properly sent off, it's part of the job." Aomine replied, noting how boy didn't return his stare. Aomine's eyes lost a bit of firmness as the student pursed his lips in dismay.

"This is embarrassing." He spat with his hands clenched in a fist side by side. Aomine remained silent, waiting for him to continue his thought. "Even after my parent's separating, my mom is still doing embarrassing stuff like having to pick me up after practice. It's like she thinks dad is lurking around every corner. It's so uncool."

"She's just worried about you, gaki." Aomine interjected with slight annoyance. _Calm down_. He had to remember that he was once twelve years old as well, and that this was the prime year of having extreme attitudes.

"I get it." The raven haired stated abruptly, losing his grip with his clenched hands. "I'm not stupid though. I was never on the best of terms with him anyway."

Aomine lifted one eyebrow in curiosity. He found it odd for this kid to just volunteer personal information such as this. But now that he knew of his attitude from earlier before, Aomine sighed lightly. Kids always want to confide in someone other than their parents. "Sounds like you're dealing with a lot right now. I don't know what you're going through, but if it helps, I could always make room to stay behind for extra practice if it helps get it out of your mind."

For the first time tonight, the bronzed male saw a shift in the boy's brooding attitude. Brown eyes blinked, before returning with a smile. "You really mean that, Aomine-senpai?"

Aomine's brow twitched at the familiar he placed. Right. Assistant coach role. He had to get used to that. "Sure, I've got time on my hands. We'll shoot for next week, how about it, Nishino?" Aomine bluntly replied, now looking at the time on his phone once more. Almost time for Tetsu to get off.

"That's be great, thank you so much." Aomine was almost sorry for not reacting as merely as excited as the younger boy beside him. He couldn't be blamed though. He never saw himself at any point in time in his life ever having to actually _teach_ students. He was sure he'd adjust to all this by next week.

Opening the gym door, one of the staff approached Sanada in quick strides, whispering over to him before turning to Aomine. He ushered for him to come forth away from the two students.

Once clear from their line of hearing, Sanada sighed, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "There's apparently an adult within the main office trying to pick up Nishino, but wasn't in consent of his mother. He did leave shortly after being denied countless time, but now the police have been contacted, they should be here shortly. I'll be heading to the front if you could stay with the children."

The coach as well as the faculty staff member stepped out of the gym, leaving Aomine with a feeling of sudden worry. He turned to the students who were staring at their line of sight and he scratched the back of his head with unease. "He'll be back so hang on tight." Aomine stated, trying to sound so assure himself.

Minutes seem to pass with no return, leaving the two students to chatter echoing through the gymnasium while Aomine fidgeted with his phone to check the time.

A piercing rent of gun fire had resonated outside of the hallway of the gynasium, turning all heads to the double doors ahead.

Aomine stood up quickly, with constricting eyes.

"Hideaki! I know you're here!" A muffled voice beyond the double doors boomed. Aomine could tell they were close to the entrance. His eyes fastened down to the boys beside him who shaken to the very bone—especially Nishino.

"Fuck!" Aomine seethed through gritted teeth. He fixed his gaze to the door leading outside, remembering that Sanada had already locked it before leaving to the main office. He turned to the boys, now directing them to another corridor that connected the gymnasium to the school's infrastructure. "Now's not the time to get cold feet, let's _move_!" He barked, leading the students into an empty hallway `before shutting the door quickly. He crouched down with the boys toward the wall, careful not to show their image over the glass windows of the door in front of them. Lights were dim. Tension rose.

Aomine proceeded to cut the corner to the corridor of the hallway until heavy footsteps were heard from the opposite side end. He paused, unable to conceal his heavy breathing, waiting to see who would appear from the other side.

"This is the police, show yourself!" Shouted a husky voice over the emptiness of the corridor before relaying on the intercom there were others within his line of sight. Aomine shook the shoulder of Nishino who failed to comprehend what was going on through sheer panic overtaking his body. "I said to show yourself!"

"It's kind of fucking hard when I've got kids with me!" Aomine spat, internally kicking himself after for sounding like a jackass. He didn't know else to say, much less, what else to _do._ He could barely keep calm himself. At that moment, he could hear the static of the intercom sounding off as the man ahead of him on the other corner of the wall stated that he had children with him.

Double doors within the gymnasium slammed opened, turning all heads to the entryway just beyond the door ahead of them. Now the individual was inside the courts. Aomine darted his eyes back to the children, his brows now contorted in anger and fear. "Get moving, god damn it!" He whispered briskly, shoving the kids out of the corner of the wall into the hallway. Leading the way, Aomine drew his hands up, cautious of the officer's shadow reflecting the floor. "I've got the kids here, this gunner is coming this way." Aomine informed, now revealing the officer from the other corner of the wall. There he was, dressed in blue uniform with a bullet proof vest over his torso.

This was the first time Aomine has ever felt this shaken up.

Lowering his gun, the officer informed the other police force of their location and descriptions of each of the individuals in front of him. He signaled for the children to move forth, with Itsuki moving in first. Sudden clash of the door being slammed opened was heard and Aomine jumped, gritting his teeth.

"Go on, Nishino!" Aomine growled, frantically shaking the boy who was breathing heavily with his hands clutched over his head. Footsteps were drawing nearer to their location. It was a matter of moments before they would turn to the hallway to meet them.

"I… I can't move." The boy quivered with tears welling up within his eyes. Aomine clicked his tongue in return, the individual approaching closer. "He's here… Dad is _actually_ here." The end of his sentence trailed off in sobs.

Aomine bent over to show himself at eye level. "Nishino, I need you to stay with me. We need to get out of here _now_." Breathed Aomine sharply, tightening his grip on his shoulders. Nishino saw right through the older male; his mind enveloped in panic. Aomine snarled in defeat, seeing the shadow of the gunner just about to turn the corner. "Fucking move it!" Aomine yelled, now shoving the boy to the other side of the hallway. Aomine took a step to proceed with them when the cock of the gun was heard just feet in front of him.

Aomine froze. Terrified beyond belief.

"Don't you dare move."

Absolute panic.

The officer readied himself, one arm securing his gun while the other while he mouthed for Aomine to leap over. Aomine lost all sense of command within his body. He was trapped, only able to stare with wide eyes as he recognized that this was _actually_ happening to him right now. Sweat trailed down the side of his temple. The navy haired male took in a large breath, squeezing his eyes shut before reopening them with focus reflecting his indigo irises.

"Get the kids to safety." Aomine stated sternly with shaken breath, now turning his body to face the intruder with his arms slowly raising up.

"God damn it!" Cursed the officer, now frantically pulling out his intercom. "We need back up! Children are secured, but now a civilian is at risk!"

* * *

Just thirty more minutes.

Kuroko drew his phone back into the pocket of his jeans before gathering a stack of books left behind at the checkout section of the first floor's desk. Time was not on his side as it seemed to pass at a low grueling place. Typically his work days flashed from start to finish, but behind the stoic expression, he was relieved to finally have plans with his significant other after.

Passing by the librarian's office, he stole a glance inside and saw others huddled around the television hung over the wall in front of him. Curiosity took the best of him, and he stopped in place trying to view the screen over the various heads watching as well.

"Out of all places for a gunman to target… a _school_?" The manager drawled, shaking her head ever so slowly before turning back to her work on the screen. "Just unbelievable."

There was an odd lump within Tetsu's throat.

He was nervous to find out where the news report was taken place. He was sure it had to be some other school within the Kanto region. _Any_ other school but what he thing about.

"They just confirmed a civilian in there with the gunman as well." One of the staff murmured to the other individual in a low voice. Kuroko was now behind them, finally able to view the screen in close proximity. A long haired brunette was shown over the screen, with the camera so close to her profile that he couldn't make out the location behind her. A sudden headliner appeared just beneath her.

 _Teikō_ _Junior High School shooting: suspect currently within school parameters._

Echoing through the first floor was clash of books hitting the floor.

All heads turned to face Kuroko, who stood paler than ever before. Oval eyes were wide with pupils in slight shake if one were to really observe him up close. He felt immobilized, reading the text underneath the news report over and over.

 _Police had just confirmed another officer heading in to secure the two children outside of the gymnasium to safety. However, there is still a young man within the gunman's reach. So far, there has been no other signs of hostility just yet. Back up troops are in order outside accordingly waiting to proceed in. Now—_

He's still in there.

The rest of her words trailed off into a blur. Time seemed to land almost at a standstill. Kuroko could feel a hand over his shoulder. He could hear the muffle sounds of someone trying to grasp his attention.

 _Aomine is still in there._

"Please…" Kuroko stated, his voice hitching slightly. His eyes met with the librarian who was shocked by his sudden comeback to reality. "I apologize, but I must leave. Please understand." He trembled fiercely, unable to hide the fearful expression from anyone in front of him.

No further questions were asked by the senior in front of Kuroko. With a nod of affirmation from her, the azure haired male wasted no time to dash out of the building. His throat was dry, with pants exhaling out that burned his lungs with each breath. He was lucky that there was a station close to the campus. Just in time, the next train opened the automated doors to let him proceed inside the train cart. Sweat dripped down the widow's peak of his forehead. Hands shaking unconsciously.

Two more stops needed to be passed in order to reach his destination.

Frantically, Kuroko dove through the pocket of his jeans to grab his phone. He wished for a message from Aomine, stating he left just before it all occurred. He wished for him to just be at Maji Burger, waiting for him to get off work. Pressing on the home button of his phone, artificial lights reflected no messages, no calls from anyone. His body began to shake. His heart racing unlike ever before.

* * *

Lidded hazel eyes bore unto the indigo eyes in front of him. The individual sauntered from side to side, barely able to keep his composure straight on. A scent of alcohol made itself known to Aomine, and his eyes narrowed in slight as he tried to calculate how to proceed further.

"Let's take a deep breath here." Tried Aomine, fighting his nerves with his hands firmly overhead. He had to try and calm this man down. "There's no reason to have a gun pointed at me."

The man in front of Aomine was short, with unkept dark hair from what seemed like days of not tending to it—or tending to himself for that matter. His face contorted to an expression of anger but shone undertones of sadness within each crease of his face.

The gun pointed began to waver in hand. The intoxication took over him tenfold. "Hideaki is here…" A slur of a statement was barely formed as a reply. "Where is he, gaki?" The man took a step forward with his arm still at full extension in front of Aomine. His bronze skin flushed with fear, and he took in a gulp.

"Look at what you're doing." Aomine said in a low voice. "Your son is absolutely _terrified_. Do you think this is what he wanted? Just—"

"Who the hell are you to question me about my son?!" Interrupted the unstable man. Aomine shut his mouth firmly, now hearing the sounds of footsteps from outside the building with instructions being shouted outside. "Don't you get it, asshole?! I will _shoot_ you if you don't bring him here!" He prayed for this to be the reinforcement officers.

"Listen, do you really want to live with yourself being a fucking murderer? Do you want your son to remember you like this while you're behind bars?" Aomine softly asked with tension slipping off the tip of his tongue. Aomine could see the gunman falter slightly at that thought with his gun wavering out of his range. After moments of careful consideration, Aomine took a step forward, his chest beating rapidly. Aomine spoke, his voice now louder with no waver. "He wouldn't want this."

"I _know_ that." The older man managed to let out hoarsely. He was losing his composure, his shoulders shaking with each sob. "What the fuck am I supposed to do?"

Aomine's lips were pressed in a tight line, unable to come up with words that would suppress the sudden grief he was releasing. Aomine opened his mouth to speak now, not faltering from his approach. "Let's just put the gun down."

From the corner of the wall, the officer stood with one hand fastened over his firearm. Appearing from the entryway of the door behind the officer was another authority figure. Glancing his eyes back to him, he nodded for him to withdraw the children out of the premises.

While Itsuki complied easily, Nishino stood with heavy breaths. Though unable to see what was going on within the other side of the hallway, he could hear the pained voice of his father and Aomine trying to lessen his panic. He could feel his wrist being grasped, and his attention turned to face the officer. "We can't just leave Aomine-senpai there." Nishino managed to let out, his voice trembling.

"You've got to move out, kid. We'll take care of this." The first officer whispered to him before turning his attention back to the fray just beyond the hallway. He could see the man's figure shrink in proximity as he was being pulled away from the building. This was an absolute _nightmare_. Not knowing was else was going to occur between both individuals alarmed Nishino.

The boy managed to see the officer with one hand was tightly grasping the grip of his gun with the other hand holding the intercom close to his mouth before opening his mouth to speak before the double doors closed, leaving the confrontation behind him at a state of unknowing.

 _Standby. The civilian seems to be attempting to calm down the suspect. Keep everyone within position until my mark._

"Roger that." Replied another officer outside of the building. Multiple vehicles were pulled up beside the gymnasium along with various new reporter buses. The officer turned to both coaches in front of him whose eyes were fastened over the gymnasium within. A sudden trail of footsteps were heard close in proximity, and all three heads turned to see a flash of cerulean hair making their way toward them from underneath the street lamp. Though a shadow was cast over their facial features, Sanada could make up the identity of the individual quickly.

"…Kuroko?" Sanada questioned slowly with arched eyebrows. The young man stopped in front of them trying to catch his breath before darting his eyes toward the gym. There was no room for catching up at this moment, and he balled his hands into clenched fists. "Aomine is still in there." The coach commented slowly, turning his eyes back to the building where one officer quickly unlocked the double doors with the key presented by Sanada just moments ago.

A wave of anxiety emitted from Kuroko like no other. Knuckles were clenched white. Oval eyes wider than ever before. He couldn't hide the shake in his breathing.

"Please, tell me what is happening." Kuroko managed to let out through the dryness of his throat. The officer held the intercom close to his face for further update, but glanced over to Kuroko's shaken form.

"He a friend of yours?"

"He's very dear to me." Kuroko replied with no hesitance. There was a brief moment of silence between all four of them. Sanada's eyes darkened toward the pained expression over Kuroko's face. He only wished if he returned sooner, this whole ordeal would've been avoided.

The officer turned back to the target area, waiting for any kind of signal before stating, "He managed to drive the kids away from the gym when the gunman made his first shot. As one of our own in there tried to get them all to safety, the man already had his weapon fastened on him." He paused momentarily, heavy wrinkles over the man's face deepening into a dark crease. "The fool couldn't move and is now trying to play 'hero'."

Both coaches turned to Kuroko. He lost his voice. He was unable to register any type of reply whatsoever.

Jaw was clenched.

Eyes were constricted in fear.

All he could do was pray that no harm would be brought to Aomine Daiki.

A sudden sob was heard through the older man inside the building with Aomine, and he began to shake. His arm holding the firearm losing his visual on bronzed man in front of him. "You don't understand…" He spat, inhaling and exhaling his breath through his mouth nervously. "I've lost _everything_. And now I'm going to lose my son too? No one understands—"

"You're right, I don't understand. But what you're about to do will just make _everything_ worse for yourself." By now, Aomine was just feet away from the older man in front of him. Aomine could hear clamors of footsteps approaching the entryway of the double doors beyond the two. He couldn't imagine what the man was going through. But if it was enough to get himself in a drunken rage and storm the halls to find his son, then it was unimaginable.

"Just put the gun down…"

The gunman's arm began to lose its waver against Aomine. Hesitantly, he took another step forward, feeling as if he finally got through to the intoxicated man. He still had his arms raised over his head, making sure the older man understood he meant no harm.

And just as a flick of a switch, a snarl was heard before slamming the handle of the weapon against the side of Aomine's head. A loud yell resounded through the air by the young man.

 _Fuck._

For a couple moments, Aomine saw vertigo as he tried to regain his composure. His vision wavered, seeing blurs of the individual's form swirl in front of him as he was coming in and out of focus. Not having any second to recover, Aomine began to fish his hand toward the man's own, managing to corner the older man against the wall. A fist slugged against Aomine's face head on, connecting to the bridge of his nose. Shaking off the sharp pain, Aomine shoved his other forearm underneath the man's throat to hold him in place with his arm trapped underneath his lean frame.

He could feel a trail of liquid fall from his nostril slowly. With how heavy his breathing patterns were, the substance flew over the wall from his nostrils, now masking the white colored walls with specks of red. He glanced over to the wall before back to the attacker in front him. This was no time to think about a bloody nose. Aomine's jaw clenched as he tried to gain solid ground over the other. His other hand battled for control of the gun's aim-

Another gun shot cracked through the air.

 _What the hell is going on in there?!_ The intercom sounded off inside the building. The officer inside the vicinity finally pulled out of the corner, viewing the firearm on the ground as Aomine wrestled to keep the man detained. The man could see a chip in the wall from the shot's connection before turning back to both individual's fighting for control.

"Hurry up and get his gun!" Aomine spat, now sweeping the man to the ground with his leg before holding mounting his weight over the older man. Aomine dug one arm over the back of his head, holding him face first on the ground.

"Move in! The suspect is immobilized!"

Aomine breathed heavily, hearing the door slam open as the authorities stormed their way inside. The side of his head was throbbing painfully from the grip contact of the weapon, and his eye twitched at the ache. He noticed the other male's clothes were stained with red, and Aomine came to a halt. Now finally noticing a warm liquid trailing down his temple, sliding down his face slowly. The cold surface of the floor shown drops of crimson falling toward the cold surface. It was his own blood. And quite of bit of it as well.

Muffled sobs were heard below the young man, and he could make out the pained pleas from Nishino's father. From every break of words in between. From every gasp of air he took to recover his composure. Aomine felt a set of hands secure underneath his arms to hoist him up to stand. His eyes didn't leave the fallen man in front of him. Aomine's eyes narrowed to a fraction of millimeter. He didn't want Nishino to see his father in his state—he didn't even want to see how Nishino's face looked like when he stepped out of Teiko. He wanted for this pain to go away.

Double doors opened as the gunman was immediately escorted to one of the authority vehicles to be restrained. Aomine followed behind with two officers, his expression beyond fatigued. He tried to ignore the throbbing ache over his head, but the flashing red and blue lights of the vehicles in front of him only seemed to worsen his physical state. He clicked his tongue, gently placing one hand over the side of his head and felt a warm substance from the roots of his shirt navy mane. Pulling back his hand, his fingertips were soaked in red. _Just great._

His paused, now fishing out for his phone with the other hand. He didn't know how he was going relay all this to Tetsu calmly, but through the headache he now received with the injury, he would try to make sense of it all somehow. After the dial of his number, he pressed the phone against his ear all the midst hearing the receiver ring.

After moments of hearing the ringing sound off and darting his eyes through the night ahead of him, he immediately caught sight of a familiar shade of azure hair feet away from his own. Aomine blinked, now withdrawing the phone away from his ear.

"Tetsu…" Aomine drawled. He could see Kuroko with his phone in hand, the flashing light of Aomine's name appearing on the caller ID. Light hair was splayed over his face. He could see the quiver in those slight lips, unsure of how to respond, whether it was with speech or movement. Tetsu was stunned at the sight of the blood marred face of Aomine Daiki. "You won't believe the day I've had—"

"Sir, you need to get your wound treated right this instant." A female voice spoke out beside him. Aomine blinked, turning down to face a stern faced paramedic who signaled him to follow. Aomine paused, wanting to approach Tetsu, but was now called forth once more.

Aomine tried his best to shoot Tetsu a crooked grin, the smile instantly faltering when a shot of pain rose from his head from the muscle movement. "I'll be right back, Tetsu." Aomine stated, shaking the wince off from his face as he turned to follow. The worry of Kuroko's face burned through his mind, and he was sure to make it up to him tonight somehow.

* * *

Ice was always unexplainable in a sense how the substance can freeze over you, but burn at the same time in a couple moment's passing. Aomine kept that thought in mind reluctantly with an ice bag over the side of his head. He made his way to Tetsu, who was seated toward one of the benches with his elbow propped over his knee. His hand was brushed through his hair as he faced the ground below, concealing his face from anyone around him.

"Aomine-senpai." Nishino called out from feet away. Aomine turned his head to the side, meeting the dark eyes of the boy. His eyes were a look of relief, an opposite turn out from what Aomine expected. "Thank you." He spoke softly, placing his arm around his mother who was still recovering from the tears escaping her eyes. Aomine nodded his head in return, relaxing his shoulders. This nightmare was finally over.

Weight shifted over to the spot next to Kuroko on the side of the bench. His eyes remained pressed closed, still trying to calm himself down. He left his hand over his forehead with strands of cerulean hair slipping between his fingers.

"Tetsu." He heard Aomine say softly. Kuroko held his breath momentarily, still picturing the blood over his partner's face. There was a beat of silence before Aomine spoke gently, "Tetsu, look at me." With great hesitance, Kuroko withdrew his hand away from his forehead, now shifting his upper body upright. With eyes fluttering open, he turned his head now facing Aomine head on.

He was greeted with a somber expression. Dry blood was still present toward the corner of his temple, causing the other's jaw to tighten. Aomine's sharp features lost its rigidness, with heavy navy eyes lowered toward his companion.

"You look awful, Aomine-kun."

There was a small pause. Aomine snickered lightly at the comment, slumping back toward the fence behind their seated form. "Please tell me you had a better day at work then I did." He chuckled flatly. Moments passed with no reply from Kuroko. Conversations between the officers were the only sound to break the silence between the two. Aomine shut his eyes momentarily. He could hear the slightly shaken breath emitting from Kuroko. Tetsu's fearful expression burned through is mind, and his brows contorted unconsciously.

"Aomine Daiki." A low husky voice called out just feet away. His eyes shot open once more to a man approaching the two. He was an older man dressed differently than the other officers he's encountered today; a white button up dress shirt tucked into black slacks. Though dressed professionally, Aomine could see an intercom secured to the side of his belt along with his gun holster. He grimaced lightly. Just the thought of guns made his head pound even harder. "Saigou Tatsuma, Chief of police. I understand you've just been through a rather traumatizing ordeal. Give yourself a breather, and in a couple minutes we're going to request your assistance at our station with a victim report of the entire situation. We don't want the press to be all over you in your state."

Aomine nodded his head, placing the ice bag down on the bench before crossing his arms. "Yeah, I'll be right here." He replied laxily. The chief drew his hands over his hips, letting out a snort on how unusually calm Aomine carried himself right now.

"What you did back there was just out of pure recklessness." Saigou commented firmly. Aomine sniffed involuntarily, wanting to ignore the lecture he was sure that was coming. "Besides that idiotic move though, people like you are what we need in this line of work. You're a brave kid. You should consider it someday."

Aomine's eyes shot up toward the chief, the brows of his sharp eyebrows arching up in astonishment. Behind the dark facial hair of the older male standing before him, he could make out the smirk being presented through the lamplight dimming over his features. As the man turned to the rest of the squad toward his vehicle, Aomine slowly sat forward with his eyes viewing the constant flashes of red and blue emitting from the vehicles in front of the school.

"Me as a police officer…? I never gave it much thought before this shitstorm of a day." Aomine asked himself. He debated the question in mind momentarily, now turning to Kuroko beside him. He would keep that thought toward the back of his mind for now. He flashed a half smirk before picking up the ice bag to place over his head again. "Still want to hang out tonight, Tetsu?"

Through the glass frames of Kuroko's glasses, he faced away from Aomine, drawing out a long exhale before his cerulean eyes fell toward the flashing lights that kept the night at length. Aomine was truly unbelievable. He spoke as if there had been no life threatening event take place _at all_. He stole a quick glance toward Aomine and tried not to picture the image of his blood stained face from minutes ago. Hell, what was the use? At this point, that face was burned into his retina. "Ask me in a couple minutes after I'm done hyperventilating." Kuroko managed flatly.

"I'll take that as a yes then." Aomine replied with a hint of jest.

The pair turned toward the multitude of flashing lights in front of them. A wave of calm now emitted through the air. Washing away slowly was the strain within Kuroko before he leaned back toward the fence to align with his companion's posture.

"You can be the most troublesome person at times, Aomine-kun."

* * *

 **Note** : So what do you all think? I've always wondered what would've triggered Aomine wanting to be an officer. With how lax his character is, I figured a serious scenario such as what I thought up would've been a good background to that. Anyway, the next chapter will be a continuation of this chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated of your thoughts or corrections if something seems wrong or misplaced.


	6. Constant Reminder

**The Color of Rain**

 **Disclaimers** : I do not own any piece of work deriving from the manga or anime adaptations of Kuroko no Basuke.

 **Constant Reminder**

"State your name."

"Aomine Daiki."

"Identification card?"

Within a small room of the police department, both Aomine and chief Saigou were seated across each other within a table toward the center of the room. The chief had one arm propped over the table as the other was jotting down notes within a paper beside the clusters of others beneath it. Aomine reached into his pocket nonchalantly to pull out his wallet. Once he skimmed through the contents to find his card, he slid it toward the chief then sat back toward his chair with crossed arms as he waited for him to continue.

"I need you to explain everything that just occurred within Teikō to the best of your ability." The chief began, now removing his propped arm to grab hold of the pitcher of water beside him as he poured the drink within two plastic cups. Once he set it back down, he pushed one cup toward Aomine and held one for himself. "Take your time. There's no need to rush."

The navy haired male accepted the cup in hand and stared down at the transparent substance within it. Aomine sighed deeply. At least by this time his headache was gone. He shifted his eyes beyond the door beside the two, knowing that Tetsu was out there waiting for him to be finished. "It was about six in the afternoon when afternoon practice for the basketball club was finished. I was asked to remain behind with the kids…" Aomine paused, now taking in a large breath. He was exhausted. He continued on, glancing over to the door ahead, wishing he could imagine Tetsu's face in another expression other than worry.

The bright fluorescent lighting of the moon was shone brightly through the windows of the police station's waiting room. Kuroko Tetsuya was seated with his head rested against the wall. Light lobby music. A silent release. He was mentally fatigued beyond belief. Over thirty minutes have passed since Aomine was taken in for the chief's report. The vibration of his phone was resounding through the pocket of his jeans, and he didn't move at all to retrieve it. Through the duration of Aomine's time remained within the room, multitudes of texts and calls were received regarding the happening of the school shooting. Overwhelmed by all the concerns, he informed them he couldn't talk in his current location and suggested to wait about another hour to speak with him.

Kuroko's head was pounding.

Just as if it was a miraculous prayer being answered, the door to the room Aomine lied within slowly opened. Kuroko fastened his eyes over to his left hand side revealing Saigou along with Aomine exiting the room. A brief exchange of words were discussed between the two before the chief patted Aomine on the shoulder and made his exit toward his office vicinity.

Aomine's navy orbs turned to face Kuroko's own, and he sauntered over to his direction with his arms dove into his pockets. There was a moment of silence with Kuroko keeping his eyes on him. Aomine's brow arched slightly. He understood that he was probably still shaken up from the incident, but was there more to that? "Let's stop by Maji Burger before heading back." Aomine suggested slowly, now seeing Kuroko shift his body up from the chair.

"That's fine." Came Kuroko's curt reply as he turned to make his way out of the station. Aomine blinked in confusion, now following suit.

The walk to Maji Burger was in utter silence. Aomine was lucky for the crowd of people walking alongside the streets to break the unshakable stillness between the two. They passed through two blocks, greeted with multiple lightings of neon infrastructure signs, and the clatter of shuffling bodies crossing by their path. The rupture of the environment around Aomine still didn't make up for the lack of speech Kuroko expressed.

The street lights of the lamp post beamed over their faces, now exposing the end result of Aomine's wound over his head. Kuroko winced lightly. "There's still blood on your face, people will look at you as if you're a lunatic. I'll get the food." He finally spoke, as they were feet away from the burger joint.

"Tetsu." Aomine started, holding his arm toward the door of Maji Burger. Kuroko turned his glare up to meet his own, hesitant to see last bit of dry blood over his face. "What's going on with you right—"

"Ten teriyaki burgers, right?" Kuroko cut him off blandly, now placing his own hand on the door to open instead. Aomine drew his head back with a puzzled expression. "I still owe you for the other week when you helped me move, Aomine-kun."

"I was just joking that time." Aomine muttered but by then, the fair skinned male already made his way inside. Aomine drew out a short breath as he leaned against the wall of the restaurant to view the back of Kuroko's head in line. He knew at that very moment that there was this unexplainable tension within the azure haired male.

* * *

The clash of metal from Kuroko's keys were made known once he unlocked the door to his apartment. Closing the door behind him, he turned on the kitchen lights and immediately faced a delighted Nigou rushing his way over to his companion with his tail wagging fiercely. He bent over while holding up his milkshake away from him as his other hand grazed through the dark coat of his back. Aomine stared, taking the last bite of his burger before going over to the kitchen to remove the wrappers within the waste bin. He dropped his bag by the hallway before placing both forearms over the countertop, his narrow eyes laid before Tetsu, waiting for him to return the glare.

"What's going on, Tetsu?" Asked Aomine, attempting to sound as soft as possible. Kuroko withdrew from Nigou as he straightened up his posture to return the stare.

"Do you realize what could've happened to you, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko returned with another question, now adjusting the straw of his shake. Vacancy disappeared and was now replaced with sharp cerulean eyes that demanded explanation. He wasn't about to dismiss what had just occurred. There was an arch of one brow of Aomine's as he now leaned over with his forearms crossed over the kitchen counter throwing Tetsu an expression that read , 'Give me a god damn break'.

"Yeah, but it's over now. I'm right here." Aomine countered flatly. He couldn't find the reason for his growing irritation. Kuroko retired a small sigh, now setting his milkshake down unto the countertop. There Aomine was, treating this situation so laxly like this typically happened on a daily basis. "It's not as if I asked for any of this. Do you even know what h—"

"I know what happened, Ahomine. And all of that would've been avoided if you would've went with them to safety." Tetsu's words didn't waver, and he stood with hands clenched to his side as he viewed a rather disgruntled Aomine across the kitchen from him.

The navy haired male could feel his blood boiling. "You weren't inside to know what was going on, Tetsu. Someone had to make sure they were safe." Aomine said with an unmistakable edge of venom in his voice. There was a brief moment of silence. Kuroko remained even, continuing to press his gaze toward the taller male. "Look, I get that you're still shaken up. But there's no reason for you to be all pissy toward me."

"You're missing the point. You could've been hurt, or even…" His voice trailed off, now turning his gaze elsewhere. His throat felt dry as a brief flash of a still Aomine flew through his mind. Kuroko's throat suddenly felt dry, and he fell silent. Aomine relaxed his shoulders as he took in the small sullen expression Kuroko displayed.

"Tetsu… I didn't think—"

"That' just it, you _don't_ think, Aomine-kun."

Now Aomine scoffed. He withdrew his forearms and now laid his hands over the countertop, his figure looming over to view Kuroko at a closer proximity. "I had a gun pointed at my fucking face, Tetsu. You try and move from something like that and then let me know how it goes." Aomine returned almost coldly. Now he didn't mean to come off rash, but it wasn't his fault that Tetsu knew how to piss him off.

"Aho!" Kuroko said roughly, his voice louder than usual, but not strong enough to emit as a yell. Aomine stood stunned at his sudden change of tone. "Did you even consider your parents? Momoi-san? Everyone else?" Kuroko asked with his eyebrows knitted together in frustration. A small grimace made way toward the corners of his lips. Kuroko stood rigid, just up to par with the bronzed skinned male. Even though the shadows from the kitchen lights hid the harsh linings within Aomine's features, he could see his sharp eyes narrow more than ever over Tetsu.

Aomine clicked his tongue, now removing himself from the kitchen swiftly and made his way over to Tetsu. He now stood just feet away from him. Even bending slightly to loom over him, Aomine still had such a height advantage over the azure haired male. Kuroko hated it. He hated how he started to lose his firmness from Aomine's intensity over him. Aomine's chin was held high, his eyes narrowed to a fraction of a millimeter down toward Tetsu's orbs.

"I sure as hell thought about everyone." Aomine hissed, making Kuroko lose the steadiness within his jaw slightly. "I thought about it the entire time I was being targeted. I thought about my family, my friends…" Aomine paused, his lips separated momentarily. He blinked, indigo irises now growing somber. The contour of his features lost some rigidness and he spoke with a calmer tone running off his tongue, "And don't you _dare_ think for a moment that you weren't on my mind too."

Kuroko faltered, losing the tension from his pressed eyebrows. He wanted to break away from Aomine's weighty gaze, from the smear of dry blood still over the side of his face. Kuroko felt an unexpected sensation form within the pit of his throat, and he couldn't help but feel the well of tears forming over the corners his eyes. He didn't want to let Aomine see him like this. He was giving in to his emotions; something that was not in his character to ever do. Aomine also began to lose his rigid demeanor completely and he lowered his chin to continue to stare at his partner below him with pressed lips. He never meant to frustrate Tetsu to the point of _tears._

Kuroko sighed exhaustedly. "You can be very irrational, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said softly, now removing his glasses to place over the countertop. He placed his thumb and forefinger between the bridge of his nose to calm himself down. There was a familiar itch from his nose, and he could still feel the tears wanting to escape. "I have a headache, I'll go and start up the shower for you." Kuroko said, now tearing away from Aomine's glare to walk away from him.

His arm brushed by the taller male hitting his shoulder lightly. He didn't apologize. In truth, he'd rather not say a word for he knew those tears would fall if he were to take in a breath to speak. Kuroko made his way to the hallway to grab a towel from the pantry in order to avoid further emotional distraught. Aomine turned around with unease, hearing the start of the shower water within the bathroom before Kuroko made his exit toward his bedroom. The ace followed suit in slow strides.

"Tetsu." Aomine called out with his body leaned over the door frame, seeing the other male remove his sweater and white button up to replace it with a basic black shirt. In front of Kuroko was a closet adorned with a full size mirror over the sliding door, and he glanced over the reflection to view Aomine before turning away. There was no response, and the ace sauntered forward, now wrapping his arms gingerly around the other's waist as he drew him closer to his lean frame. His fingertips splayed over his abdomen with hand slowly caressing the side of his torso. "I don't want to argue with you tonight." He murmured softly, pressing his chin over his unruly hair. He gave his waist a light squeeze before adding with a weak, crooked smirk, "Why don't you come in the shower with me? It'll help get rid of that headache."

For a moment, Kuroko considered his velvet sounding words and almost slumped his shoulders back toward his broad chest. He was so warm against him, so gentle. Kuroko tried his best to stand strong, firm, not giving in to how alluring the taller male was to him. But it was so easy for him to be ensnared by Aomine Daiki.

Just _too easy_.

He felt Aomine's breath trail over his ear, a hopeful hum making its way into his earlobe, making Tetsu shudder. He then remembered the scope of his issue, and also the fact that he's never showered with anyone, much less a nude Aomine, so he digressed with slight embarrassment. "I'd rather not get blood all over me, Aomine-kun." Kuroko answered, managing to pull away from Aomine's grasp although deeply, he wish he hadn't. "Besides, I need a couple minutes to calm down." Kuroko now turned to exit the room and called Nigou forth to take him outside, leaving Aomine to stare off after the smaller male.

There were no following steps trailing behind Kuroko. Good. He needed to take a breather. A _really_ large breather at that. The fair skinned male withdrew his keys from the key hanger beside the apartment door signaling Nigou to rush forward. Kuroko's oval eyes fell to his canine companion, who sat patiently waiting for him to open the door. Kuroko released a long breath, his eyes lidding somberly.

At this very moment, he regretted coming off so harshly toward Aomine. As irrational as the taller male was, the most important thing was that he was alive, and he was with him right now. Kuroko shook his head of his tension, now opening the door to let Nigou exit first before shutting the door behind him. He would come back to the apartment calmer, and ready to face Aomine.

A sea of crimson swirled within the shower water just below Aomine's feet of the tub. He sighed reluctantly, gently soothing out the roots of his navy mane of the remaining blood over his wound. Dark eyes close, and he tilted his head up to let the water hit his face gently. Very rarely has he ever came across an infuriated Tetsu. Normally, he would find his change in transparent attitude interesting—but not tonight. Sure, Aomine felt that his irritation was unnecessary, but he now understood the feeling that radiated off of Tetsu. The feeling of almost losing someone of great importance. He was physically, and mentally exhausted, and he wasn't about to let this argument suppress the night for the two of them.

Aomine turned the knob of the shower off, now grabbing the towel to dry himself off. After changing into a grey fitted shirt with denim jeans, he turned off the light to the bathroom and proceeded to Kuroko's room to rummage through his bag next to his bed. The sound of the front door was made known to Aomine, but he ignored it for wanting to give Tetsu his brief space to find his center. Scampering through the wooden floorboards of the hallway was Nigou who made his way toward the study, followed by slow strides of footsteps falling behind.

There was a halt of those footsteps heard by the doorway. Aomine paused to view his reflection through the mirror, now straightening up his posture before turning around. Right in front of the doorway stood Tetsu, a Tetsu that lost all exasperation within his facial features from minutes ago. There he stood with cerulean eyes that bore heavily into Aomine's own. There was an unknown firmness with the way he was postured, and Aomine blinked, puzzled. "Oi Tetsu…" Aomine greeted in a low tone, not too sure how to proceed with the conversation. Instantly, there was a shift within Kuroko, his hands balling tightly.

With his head lowered, he made his way toward the taller of the two. Aomine drew back his head slightly of the advancement, and Tetsu lifted one hand to grab the collar of Aomine's gray shirt before yanking his head down to meet his lips with his own. Navy eyes widened, seeing those of Tetsu's pressed shut tightly. The kiss was soft, desperate, and somehow held so much desire just as if he was never going to get a second chance at this moment.

Keeping the grip of Aomine's collar firm, Kuroko brought is other hand over Aomine's cheek, breaking the kiss to catch his breath softly before pressing his slight lips over the other's own again. Aomine craned his neck, returning the motion with a soft groan of his throat. Just as Aomine lifted his hands to lay over Tetsu's waist, the smaller male withdrew from the kiss, lowering his face so he couldn't see him. His grip of Aomine's collar released, and as Aomine lurched forward to continue, Kuroko pressed his hand toward his masculine chest to stop him and lowered his other arm back to his side.

"I'm still very upset with you, Aomine-kun." Kuroko managed softly, patting his chest gently before turning to exit the room.

Aomine glared back at him, dumbfounded, speechless.

Kuroko brushed his hair back over his forehead in the midst of his heart pounding fiercely. He needed some water. Something to get rid of the lump sitting at the pit of his throat. Kuroko made his way to the kitchen and opened the cupboards to retrieve a small glass cup. Right, a drink would definitely help him settle down his embarrassment. As soon as he closed to pantry, he could feel a presence beside him. Kuroko turned his head, setting his glass down.

"Aomine-kun?"

Heavy navy irises were lidded over Tetsu. Aomine stood unyielding, his eyes not blinking for a moment. There was a slight turn of his head as he stepped toward the smaller male. Kuroko pressed his lips together firmly, still feeling heat blossom over his light cheeks.

"About how I acted earlier this evening, I'd like to—"

Aomine drew his hand over the back of Tetsu's head, lightly grabbing a handful of hair before pressing his lips over his own almost harshly. Now it was Kuroko's turn to stare wide eyed. He recoiled, bringing his arms up to Aomine's chest in protest. However, Aomine turned his smaller frame toward the countertop, pressing Tetsu's backside against it before breaking off the kiss to trail his lips over his jawline. "What happened? You were acting so bold just a minute ago." He whispered as he brought his hand down toward the nape of his neck. Kuroko could feel his fair toned hands come to a close, lightly gripping Aomine's shirt as he felt his lips over his cheek then right back to his mouth.

Aomine pressed his thigh in between to separate Tetsu's own, causing the other to quiver slightly. Every kiss was long, demanding, and very passionate. Aomine flicked his tongue over those slight lips before craning his head to dive even further. Kuroko groaned, shivering at the exploration of the other male's tongue finding his own. Tetsu tasted so sweet; the hint of vanilla still lingering within his tongue. Aomine brought his hands down to Kuroko's thighs, gripping underneath his hamstrings before hoisting his light frame over the countertop with ease. Kuroko gasped, not having time to recover his breath before Aomine continued, stealing his lips within his own, and biting his lower lip to draw him back to him when Kuroko tried to recover his breath. God, was Aomine warm, and _solid_ with the way he demanded each kiss.

Kuroko drew back, breathing softly, as lidded eyes fluttered to view Aomine's own. He found his arms unconsciously made their way up to his shoulders, and Aomine chuckled, nuzzling his head beside his neck. "You're not really mad at me, are you?" Questioned Aomine cunningly, bringing both lengthy hands up the back of Tetsu's shirt to explore his backside. Kuroko let out a sigh, turning his neck to the side as an invitation to let Aomine proceed. A chuckle was emitted from Aomine before he kissed his neck softly.

"For now, I'm not." Replied Kuroko breathlessly with his shoulders sunk in defeat, allowing his arms to limply hang over Aomine's own. Now, Aomine squeezed Tetsu in a soft embrace while nestling his chin over the smaller male's shoulder. Kuroko let out a content exhale, letting the wave of calm overtake them.

"I'm not going anywhere, Tetsu." Reassured Aomine softly, almost pleading as he began to caress one arm over his back in long strokes. Kuroko shivered, now wrapping around the other's neck. Aomine turned his head slightly toward Kuroko's ear, a teeth baring smirk now appearing over his lips. "And neither are you."

With eyes fluttering in confusion, Kuroko withdrew his head back only to be faced with another hard kiss. Aomine roughly gripped Tetsu underneath his hamstrings and hoisted him up off the countertop. "Aomine-k—" He let out with a startle, before the taller male started back toward his bedroom, shuffling to close the door behind him before sauntering over to the bed to lay Kuroko over the mattress.

Demanding eyes leered over Tetsu as Aomine removed his shirt to throw over the floor. Strands of cerulean hair splayed over Kuroko's face, and he swallowed hard, taking in how lean Aomine actually was, and how he didn't know what to expect next. A slight curve of a smirk was formed over Aomine's lips, and he crawled over Tetsu, his leg again pressing up hard to separate Kuroko's thighs. Hot breath lingered over Tetsu's neck, and Aomine dragged his tongue over Kuroko's jaw line slowly. Kuroko let out a small exhale, bringing a hand over Aomine's shoulder to grip.

This was all happening too fast, leaving Tetsu simply breathless. From the way Aomine hungrily kissed him, from the way he nipped his neck with light bites, the smaller male felt lightheaded. Aomine broke off his advances as he brought his hand down and lifted Tetsu's shirt to discard over his body. Aomine's eyes trailed down to Kuroko's frame. For Kuroko's small build, he was quite lean; the tone of his already light skin illuminating brighter with the help of the moon's light. He studied the contrast of their skin tones, to the way his chest fluctuated with each heavy breath taken. His gaze trailed up to Tetsu's face; his alabaster cheeks coated in red with fluster, his lips colored a darker shade of pink from the amount of times Aomine's bit into his lower lip, and his light cobalt eyes showing a sense of coy.

Aomine grinned darkly, leaning in to kiss his neck before trailing down to his chest, now using his tongue to trace circles around each erect nipple. He could feel Tetsu wriggle beneath him, his breath now exhaling in irregular intervals. "Aomine-kun, what are you—" He managed to let out before he felt a large hand shamelessly run over his inner thigh, trailing up before giving a light squeeze toward his growing bulge within his denim pants. Kuroko exhaled, finding one hand unconsciously clawing Aomine's shoulder while the other was over his mouth, sinking his teeth into his finger to bite back a moan. Aomine gave one last suck over his delicate chest before moving his gaze back up to Tetsu. His eyes narrowed slyly, seeing how his partner was beginning to lose his composure. With one hand, the ace began to unbutton the material of Kuroko's jeans, now swiftly unzipping the denim with ease.

Once again, his fingertips grazed over Tetsu's growing erection, and he grinned at how hard Tetsu was trying to fight back his pleasure. Aomine loomed over the smaller male, seeing his head shift to the side of the pillow with batted eyelashes. "You know, I've thought about you underneath me like this for a while now." Aomine spoke in a husky tone, his hand continuing to trail over Tetsu's length from his briefs. Aomine was simply teasing him, careful not to actually grab hold of it just yet. "Is that strange, Tetsu?"

Kuroko closed his eyes momentarily, feeling the pulse of his finger through his teeth before murmuring softly, "No… I don't find it strange." _I've thought about this too, in fact._ Kuroko blushed at the thought now avoiding the other's gaze loomed over him. They were now together after all. This was all just _new_ to him. From their first kiss, to whatever was now going to take place now. Aomine's advances were already too much for him to bare. God, was his head spinning. A thoughtful hum was heard from Aomine as he withdrew his hand from Tetsu's arousal and removed his hand from his mouth, now turning Kuroko's attention toward him.

Indigo eyes were hungry. Sharp lips pressed into a firm line. Aomine held Kuroko's wrist against the side of the bed, careful not to squeeze tightly. "I really want you, Tetsu." Aomine whispered, almost sounding off as a growl. He studied Tetsu's timid features, noting the swallow of his fair throat. He wanted confirmation, he needed to know if Tetsu wanted the same. "Do you want me too?" He questioned, the corner of his lips forming into a devious smirk.

Oval eyes blink, and Kuroko turns his head to the side to avoid Aomine's piercing glare. He nods his head before replying ever so gently, timidly, "I do."

A brief chuckle was heard before Aomine freed his wrist to now secure his hand underneath Tetsu's chin harshly, turning his gaze back to him. Baring his teeth slightly, Aomine stared down at him with sharp lidded eyes. "I want you to look at me and tell me you want me." Aomine breathed lowly, now hovering his lips over his jaw to deliver small pecks before travelling to his ear. His tongue flicked over to drag along the outer helix of his ear before biting down softly on his lobe. Kuroko jolted slightly, a small moan escaping those slight lips. Aomine let out a satisfied huff. "I want to see it in your face, and your body." He drew his head back, watching as he dragged his thumb down Tetsu's lower lip to part his mouth open slightly. At this point his eyes were dark, dangerous. "I want to hear you moaning, your voice gasping for me as I'm making a complete _mess_ out of you."

Kuroko laid there speechless, wondering how Aomine became this lecherous. This was all _too_ much for him. That at least he knew. His chest was pounding furiously, with cobalt eyes staring into those determined indigo orbs. He just couldn't take it anymore.

With one hand, Kuroko removed Aomine's grip from his chin, and sat up, forcing his partner to recover back in slight surprise. One light hand laid over his cheek while the other wrapped around Aomine's neck before pulling him in for a slow, hard kiss.

Aomine stiffened in surprise as Tetsu craned his neck to deliver a deeper kiss, even going as far as pushing his tongue through to meet the other's own. Aomine let out a low purr as he wrapped one lengthy arm around waist. After long moments of remaining intertwined, Kuroko separated, now facing Aomine with modest determination before saying, "I want you too, Daiki-kun."

The navy haired male pulled away from his grasp, now staring at Tetsu with bewildered eyes. Kuroko _never_ called him by his first name. Maybe on some jokingly occasions years ago, but hearing his name slip Tetsu's tongue made Aomine fluster in slight on how foreign it rang through his ears. He turned away from Kuroko's gaze all the while placing a hand over his face. The shorter male recoiled, unsure if he had done something wrong. Aomine removed himself from the bed, lowering his hand to face Tetsu head on with a stern expression.

"Tetsuya…"

Kuroko drew his head back at how Aomine referred to him. The bronzed skinned male tilted his head back with wicked eyes leering over him. "You have no idea what you've just done, do you? Calling me by my first name… you're pretty daring today, aren't you?" He asked, now proceeding to undo his jeans. The smaller male blinked, shifting his eyes down below to face his own pants shucked down almost below his knees.

"You were saying such unreasonable things… I didn't know what to do in that moment." Kuroko could feel his face burning red at his unexplainable statement. Rather than admit he was extremely apprehensive of all of this, he just… acted.

"Get up." He heard Aomine demand coolly. Kuroko drew his eyes back forward to face his partner who was now down to his briefs. Tetsu's breath was caught in his throat as he took in the sight of Aomine Daiki. He was absolutely handsome. The night light reflected off his dark complexion with the upmost form of radiance. To say that the taller male was solid would be an understatement. Each curve of his muscles were made known to Tetsu from his shoulders all the way down to his calves. A low grunt was heard to bring Tetsu's attention back to reality to view Aomine bent forward to claw away at his bottoms, stripping him nude. Kuroko took in a sudden swallow before Aomine reached for his arm to drive him off the mattress.

He turned Tetsu around with his back against his chest. Both lengthy hands secured over Tetsu's hips firmly. In front of the two was the closet mirror, and Kuroko blushed harder, feeling more exposed than he ever had in his life. Kuroko could see Aomine nuzzle his head toward his shoulder through their reflection. He shuddered, feeling Aomine's teeth catch the edge of his ear. "What are you doing..?" Kuroko could barely let out as he could feel those bronze hands map out the entirety of his body.

Aomine released a soft laugh, with one hand brushing up his hamstring roughly, digging his fingers into the firmness of Tetsu's buttock before cracking down a solid slap, a slap that stung his own hand that he couldn't imagine how harsh it felt toward his light skin. He watched the mirror with a grin as Kuroko yelped, flinging one hand toward his bronzed arm to push it away. "Tetsu…" He started, now trailing his hands up the porcelain skin of his abdomen as Kuroko's hand was still latched onto his arm. "I want you to tell me exactly what I'm doing to you. Let me hear you." Kuroko held his breath momentarily, his eyes fixed on Aomine's piercing glare through the mirror. He then fastened his eyes elsewhere.

"You're too much, Aomine-kun." It was better for him to be honest.

"I'm just making this a first time for you that you'll never forget." Aomine amended playfully, pressing his body up against the cerulean haired male. The smaller male's breath hitched at the sudden bulge hitting his backside, and he sunk back into Aomine's lean stature. Aomine smirked at the granted request and sank his teeth onto his alabaster skin over his shoulder to make his partner jolt.

Large hands ravished Kuroko's body; touching, and digging bruises unto various areas where Aomine knew would make him vocal. He couldn't help those heavy hands of his map out Tetsu's light skin; Aomine was just _too_ transfixed by the smaller male. "You're kissing my neck…" Tetsu let out breathlessly, craning his neck to the side with eyes coming to a close. He could feel his knees begin to wobble, and he lifted one hand to Aomine's torso for support. A sudden hand was crept over his chest; pinching and caressing each nipple and he couldn't help but let out a squeak. There was no room for articulate speech, not at this moment. Not when Aomine was kneading his chest with one hand and working his other hand down below; below to a place where Kuroko knew he would eventually _scream_ if Aomine had his way with him there.

"Bet it feels good ne, Tetsu?" Aomine groaned against his ear, his hand now grabbing hold of Kuroko's length tenderly. A jolt was felt accompanied with a louder moan, and Aomine continued.

"You're touching me _there_." Came Kuroko hoarsely, now fighting with one hand over Aomine's forearm. There was no way to break his strong grip against him, not against Aomine's flexed forearm that was able to overpower Kuroko with ease. Aomine removed his hand from the pale chest of Tetsu's and grabbed his chin harshly to face the mirror ahead.

"Just look at you. You're loving every moment of this." He breathed coolly, forcing Tetsu to see the twist over his own lips as each stroke of Aomine's hand toward his member was made. His eyes were hazed with lust, his body weighing heavily against Aomine's own for support. Two fingers now entered Kuroko's mouth, twisting and exploring the inside crevices. He moaned into it, letting Aomine have his way with him. "Keep on talking." Aomine added darkly, still looking at his reflection under his eyelashes.

Each sentence was a slur, words that Kuroko didn't care if it was at all comprehendible. How could it be when those bronze fingers were making him too full to speak? Suddenly, those lengthy fingers removed themselves out his slight mouth, and Kuroko exhaled, watching as his hand trailed behind his anterior and forced their way between his buttocks. "Aomine-kun!" His voice elevated hoarsely, now feeling a finger probe into his heat slowly. Pale legs buckle, and he falls over with his upper body now clinging unto the white sheets of his mattress.

Kuroko was losing himself.

Heavy cobalt eyes look toward the mirror, and he sees a satisfied Aomine continuing to plunge into Tetsu, now lodging in a second finger making the shorter male wince lightly. The feeling was painful, but arousing all at once. Biting into his already abused lips, Kuroko held back various mewls and retracted himself unto the bed away from Aomine's grasp. "Just wait, Aomine-kun." Panted Kuroko, laying himself over the bed. His head turned to the navy haired male who bore a grin at the corner of his lips as he wiped his wet fingers over his thigh before turning Tetsu on his back.

"We're not on the courts you know." Aomine said as he took hold of Tetsu's legs and splayed them apart. Kuroko shuddered at the way Aomine eyed him up and down with hunger. "Just give up. Don't hold back from me anymore." Tetsu raised his hand over his forehead with parted lips before shaking his head timidly. Aomine now bent over, his hands pinning down against those porcelain thighs roughly. His lips widened to a grin at Kuroko's attempts to mask his pleasure. This was a challenge that Aomine gladly accepted.

"Have you done this before?" Kuroko inquired sheepishly, ignoring Aomine's statement with his other hand fisting the sheets beside him. Aomine's eyes went from Tetsu's erection to his eyes, casting him a slick smirk.

"Not with another guy." He answered truthfully drawing himself ever so close to his groin. "But I've seen enough videos to probably know what will get you going." There was no hesitance with Aomine Daiki when it came to his upcoming sexual intentions. Not once did being a woman or man cross his mind, more so, he looked at Tetsu as just Tetsu; his significant other.

"You're very… lewd."

Aomine's lips twist into a wider grin at that statement, now watching those azure eyes squint as he ran his tongue from root to tip ever so slowly. He could feel the smaller male contort underneath his splayed hands, but it wasn't hard for someone like Aomine's build to keep him restrained. Kuroko was solid underneath him. Aomine could feel the flexion of his muscles repeatedly as he tensed. He now realized that he preferred his solid touch over the soft physiques of various girlfriends he's had in the past. The groove of his muscles tensing and releasing made Aomine crave his being more. Irregular breaths were exhaled by his partner and Aomine grinned at the sight of Tetsu losing himself. With that thought, he sealed his lips over the other's shaft with a low groan vibrating within his mouth.

Everything in Kuroko Tetsuya's mind drew to a blank in the midst of driving the back of his head against the mattress. He dug one hand for a pillow one that he could use to conceal those screams he knew were coming. With success, he raised the pillow over to this mouth, biting, and breathing heavily into it. He was burning, slowly melting by the way Aomine's mouth engulfed his wet heat. Moments after, Kuroko felt one hand release his grip over his thigh and grab straight for the pillow to throw it over the bed.

Kuroko froze, a glare exchanged between himself and his partner. Aomine smirked through his sucking, eyeing Kuroko's motions through its entirety. That's right. Aomine wanted to _hear_ him. A large moan escaped the smaller male's mouth as he ran his hand through his light hair. "I can't take it anymore, Aomine-kun!" Kuroko almost exclaimed with a hitch in his voice. Unconsciously, he grabbed Aomine's hand and brought it toward his mouth, holding it in place as he gnawed, licked, and sucked through his fingers.

Aomine's eyebrows rose in surprise, watching how _desperate_ Tetsu was trying to hold back from his pleasure. But he went along with it, letting him have his way for now. Aomine's mouth released his member, now removing his hand over his porcelain thigh to enclose around his length with various strokes. He made sure that Tetsu was _watching_ each moment carefully before proceeding back up to enclose his mouth around him once more. Swirling his tongue around the tip of his arousal, he dug his fingers further within Tetsu's mouth, hearing a cross between and mewl and a gag before removing his hand once more completely. _Let's try this one more time_. Kuroko eyed his hand travelling back down to his entrance, and this time, he didn't protest.

He could see a dark flash within indigo eyes in between Aomine slurps as he plunged both fingers into his heat; twisting and dragging his fingers in and out at a quick pace. Kuroko lunges one arm toward Aomine head, grabbing a fist of short navy hair before letting out what was close to a yell. He really couldn't take it anymore. He could feel his chest rise and fall so rapidly, his eyes fighting hard not to roll to the back of his head. He could hear Aomine let out a satisfied huff as his mouth moved faster, making Kuroko squirm beneath him. He felt so weak against Aomine; from the way his body lurched and writhed underneath him, to the weak sounds of his strained voice.

Aomine loved this side of Tetsu.

How his voice began to seep out from those slight lips more than ever before. How his vacant features twisted into expressions of satisfaction. How easy it was to make his partner surrender to his every whim. "You're getting close, Tetsu?" Aomine asked after releasing his cock with a hint of saliva running down the corner of his mouth and caught a glimpse of Kuroko trying his best not to look dismayed. Kuroko managed to nod in between various ragged breaths, his eyes hazily looking over those navy orbs below him.

There was now a dark glint in those navy irises. Kuroko was vocal alright, but now it was time to have him _shrieking_ at his touch. Aomine opened his mouth widely, dragging the flat of his tongue over Kuroko's aching erection. He made sure that Tetsu was watching every moment, enclosing his lips once more over his length before he took it all in completely with closed eyes. The movement of his mouth and his tongue were so obscene against his length; the pace quicker than he was moments ago. And those moist fingers, still driving through his entrance rapidly, _stretching_ him.

"A-Aomine-kun, I can't-" _I can't handle it anymore..!_ Kuroko's head shot back toward the mattress once more. Kuroko surrendered; he was unable to suppress his voice any longer than he tried to. His mind and body had completely lost all motion to his whim, and could feel his back arch unconsciously forward resulting in a low groan vibrating through Aomine's mouth. Through the tension within each ligament, Kuroko could feel himself spill over his partner's mouth. Eyes were shut tightly, were hands balled to a fist toward each side of the sheets beneath him. A whine was released at the fluctuation of Aomine's throat taking him in, _swallowing_ every last part of Tetsu's release. Aomine finally released him with a pop of those slick lips.

But he didn't stop there. He shifted his position, now hovering over Tetsu while continuing to thrust his fingers into his entrance. Shots of electricity seem to swarm Kuroko's being as he squirmed beneath the ace. Aomine's knee propped over Kuroko's thigh to splay his legs apart despite the other's resistance. "Keep on going, Tetsu." Aomine murmured as he took hold of Kuroko's chin with his other hand, bringing up his head to meet him for a hard kiss. His hold was harsh, with his fingers pressed almost roughly against his cheeks. The sensation of his kiss was bitter with the aftertaste exiting almost as quickly as it was presented. Kuroko was sinking. There was no sense of control within his being as his body was forced to shake beyond his initial release.

"Please stop! I-I can't take it!" At this point, Kuroko was out of his _mind_. He returned with both arms wrapping around his neck, letting out loud moans in between breaths. Aomine smirked, now finally removing himself from Tetsu and releasing his face. The smaller male brought one hand over his forehead in the midst of trying to regain his focus. Eyes now centered. Breathing now composed. Lidded cerulean orbs watched as Aomine adjusted himself up, managing to remove his briefs. He leaned over the side of the bed to collect an item out of the pocket of his jeans.

"We're not finished yet." Aomine drawled, reaching down to stroke his own length before ripping off the seal of the condom to place over his member. He leaned back over Tetsu with promising eyes. He, himself was _aching_ at this point. But at the same time, he loved his view of Tetsu beneath him. Just knowing that he was the one to make him release those suggestive noises was enough for him to hold him over until Kuroko reached his breaking point. Aomine drew his hands underneath the other's hamstrings and slowly lifted them over his torso. Kuroko pressed his lips together tightly as he felt the brush of Aomine's length against his entrance. Aomine's eyes softened, and he leaned over Tetsu to trail his lips over his cheek for a kiss before adding, "Relax, Tetsu. I'll start off slow."

Kuroko's breath hitched at the pit of his throat. Aomine was so careful with him unlike moments ago, as if he would shatter the smaller male with his touch. He gripped those pale legs firmly before gently pressing his lower body against Tetsu. The azure haired male winced and bit his lower lip harshly at the sting of Aomine's member slowly penetrating through him. He was way too _big_ for him despite the preparation moments ago. Both hands reached for those broad tanned shoulders, and he couldn't help but squeeze tightly to diffuse his own pain. God, if it hurt this bad just slowly trying to go through, then it was best for him to thrust in just one shot. Aomine released a ragged breath, leaning in to allow Tetsu to wrap his arms around his back. Aomine's lips trailed over his ear and he opened his mouth to speak before Tetsu started first.

"Don't hold back, Aomine-kun." Kuroko clawed his partner's back at his persistence. He felt Aomine pause, now raising his head to meet Kuroko's eyes. Sharp indigo eyes rested earnestly over his own at the velvet voice rolling off Tetsu's tongue. He could see the small contortion of pain within his partner's face, and he considered him. "Please, just take me already." The begging in his sentence alone almost made Aomine just lose it.

"Damn, that was hot..." His voice almost sounded off in a purr. He craned his head to the side baring his signature crooked smirk. "Just know that I won't be able to stop now." Affirmed Aomine in a husky tone before delivering a hard thrust toward his partner. Pain, and ecstasy rippled within Tetsu's being. His lips were parted with an inaudible moan and he could feel his nails digging hard into his bronze skin that he may have drew blood. Aomine drew his head back in a groan, continuing to drive his member within his partner's entrance, with each plunge entering _deeper_ than the last, filling him to the point where there was nowhere else to thrust. "Fuck, Tetsu…" He spoke through ragged breath, exhaling heavier than before. He could feel the tension of Kuroko's heat taking him in, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head for a brief moment.

Aomine was truly engrossed.

He was animalistic. Leaning forward toward Tetsu, he bit into his shoulder harshly, hearing a moan escape those slight lips in response. Navy irises were seeing vertigo. Sweat was dripping down his face. Breaths were released in heavy pants. Tetsu was unbelievably _tight_ and there was no way in hell he was going to stop even if he wanted to. His clenched hands marked bruises over those alabaster thighs of Tetsu's, and he didn't apologize. He buried himself deeply within his partner at a quickened pace, claiming him as his own. Aomine stared into cobalt eyes that _begged_ for him with inadvertent tears appearing toward the corners of those eyes. Pupils were expanded in desire, and Aomine lets out a grunt before hoisting Tetsu's legs over his shoulders. As those pale hands were forced to release his backside, Aomine pinned them over his head with one hand.

"You're so god damn tight." Aomine managed huskily as he brought his other arm toward Tetsu's bottom to _spread_ him. The smaller male whimpered at his touch, feeling himself grow hard again underneath Aomine. Tetsu was dazed, drowning in pleasure. "Tell me how bad you want it, Tetsu."

Embarrassment had completely washed away from Kuroko's state of mind. He could barely think with Aomine driving into him continuously. Through specks of azure hair over his eyes, he could see Aomine glaring underneath his eyelashes, his chest heaving continuously. "Aomine-kun, I—" His voice hitched at a hard delivery Aomine presented, and he bit into his lower lip with a whine escaping those lips. A teeth baring smirk was presented, and Aomine understood without having to hear the rest. Once more, Tetsu was almost already at his limit, and so was he.

Kuroko cried at each thrust of their hips slapping roughly against one another. Aomine fell into his begging, and growled through gritted teeth. His grip over Tetsu's wrists only tightened, but the smaller male somehow found pleasure beyond its harsh restraint. Aomine suddenly jerked over Tetsu with a ragged groan, feeling himself spill inside his partner. He delivered several harsh pumps before seeing Kuroko whip his head to the side with a whine. Beneath his tall frame, he could feel Tetsu's release once more. Aomine relaxed his shoulders laxly, still in awe that they actually went this far. He kept his gaze over Tetsu with light eyes before leaning his body over him. Kuroko shut his eyes momentarily.

He was warm against Kuroko.

Cerulean eyes now dazed over the windowsill, and Kuroko tried to compose himself once more. Beyond both of their pants, he could hear continuous drops hitting the windowsill outside. His gaze remained transfixed over the window, watching drops of water roll down the glass. The pulse of Aomine's member within him made him shudder, and both males seem to dissolve into a wave of calm. Aomine removed himself in the midst of releasing Tetsu's wrists. Kuroko managed to wobble his legs off of the other's shoulders to lay over the mattress before enveloping his arms around Aomine's neck in solace. Navy irises turn to the direction of Tetsu's eyes, and they soften at the sight of the shower outside.

"It almost seems to rain every time we're together, don't you think so, Tetsu?" Aomine whispered before delivering a hairline kiss. The taller male caressed unruly azure hair with closed eyes, letting the calm clatter of rain water ring through his ears.

Oval eyes remained over the window as if studying each individual drop of rain water falling down the windowsill. With parted lips, Kuroko could only agree inwardly as he seemed to sink within Aomine's soft motions. His eyes fell lidded, now coming into closure. Droplets of rain softly beating over the window was the last sounds heard before he compromised his conscious into the night.

* * *

He stared up into the ivory ceiling above. The continuous beats of pawing over the door were made known to Kuroko as he finally turned his head to the side of the mattress to view the door. It was likely that Nigou just wanted some interaction after being shut out of the room for a while. A sigh was released before Kuroko sat up from the bed. He blinked, adjusting his focus before he felt a shift toward his side. Turning below, he caught Aomine Daiki sprawled over the bed in deep sleep, half of his frame exposed over the sheets.

Pale skin flushes, and Kuroko recalled what happened earlier. How Aomine _actually_ had his way with him. His small lips separated slightly, taking in how the night sky illuminated over his calm face. The bronzed male lost all of his rigidness in his sleep, and Kuroko sunk his shoulders slightly on how delicate he seemed to appear. Careful not to awake the taller male, Kuroko slowly shifted his legs over the bed, ready to lift off when a sudden sting pierced through him. Right. He was sure to be sore after their lecherous escapade earlier. He mustered the strength to fight through the pain before drawing up his shirt over his torso and gray sweats and proceeded out the door to a now patient Nigou waiting for him. Before shutting the door, he stole a glance behind him to find Aomine shifting the rest of his lanky frame over the mattress. Kuroko couldn't help but let a small smile escape his lips.

The rain continued throughout the boundless sky ahead. Kuroko rested his head over where the railings connected to the balcony. He drew his arm out to the downpour in front of him, letting the water touch his pale skin from the safety net of the overhead screen connecting to his apartment. He drew out a sigh, unable to find an ounce of sleep ready to claim him for the rest of the night. He retracted his hand, absentmindedly shaking of the rain beside him before continuing to hold his gaze over the rainfall.

"Tetsu, what are you doing out here?" Came Aomine's voice stifling back a yawn. Kuroko turned his head back in the midst of brushing strands of cerulean behind his ear. Aomine was leaned against the sliding door of the balcony with his arms crossed over his bare chest. He wore only black sweats below, and he sauntered over to settle himself beside Tetsu with his arms over the metal railings. Kuroko turned his stare back to the downpour ahead of the two.

"Nigou woke me up, now it's troublesome trying to find sleep again." Tetsu breathed softly, now reaching his hand back out toward the rain once more. Heavy indigo eyes watched his motion, capturing the drops of water running down his pale hand.

The rain spoke for them softly, and Aomine stared over the landscapes with lidded eyes. "You know, it rained back then too." He drawled, turning Kuroko's head to him in utter curiosity as he drew back his hand away from the droplets. Aomine's gaze remained transfixed over the night sky before them. "That day back in Teikō… it also rained."

Tetsu's lips parted thoughtfully, recalling the exact event he was referring to.

 _I've… already forgotten even how to receive your passes._

Cerulean eyes captured Aomine's narrow orbs slitting contritely and he removed himself from the support beam to level his posture along with his partner over the railing. "Yes, it rained indeed."

Another beat of silence was formed between the two, and now it was Aomine who caught drops of rain over his extended hand plunging into the night. "I was a bastard back then, huh?" He questioned aloud, more so to himself then to Tetsu. He could feel the smaller male's gaze over him, and he let out a weak chuckle. "It's incredible how you _still_ found something to hold unto within me, even after the way I treated you those years ago."

"There was never a moment back then where I wanted to cut ties with you."

"But why?" There was now a hint of frustration in Aomine's voice. His face contorted just a fraction before he let out an exhale. Aomine was bewildered at Kuroko's kindness, his kindness with _him_ out of all people. "What's with you? How can you just look over all the times I did you wrong?"

"Because I could tell that you didn't want to shut me out completely."

Aomine drew his head toward Tetsu with eyes widened in slight. Below was calm cobalt eyes boring into his own. They were so sincere, so gentle. Aomine crossed one leg over the other, shifting his posture to lean closer to Tetsu. He then averted his innocent gaze, now flickering his fingers over the rain, splaying various drops of water away from his fingertips. Even when he wanted to talk with Kuroko back then, that day back in Teikō refrained him from doing so. "When it rains, I always think back to that day." Aomine admitted sadly, turning his palm over to catch droplets of water inside of his hand. "I can't run away from it. I can't run away from your face, that shocked look you had when I denied your basketball."

Kuroko stared aimlessly, watching Aomine's face grow somber. He viewed those bronzed lips curl into a mournful smile underneath the moonlight. "I keep seeing that face, begging for me to stay, to not give up. I did anyway. And every time it rains, I feel all the frustration and rage I felt back in that moment. It haunts me." Aomine removed his hand from the showers in front of him and shook his hand from the drops before placing it underneath his chin for support. "Things would've been different if I wasn't so damn stupid."

"Yet, here we are."

Once again, Aomine's head whirled down toward Tetsu. This time, he wore a gentle smile over his lips. The moon illuminated his face clearly, showing the sincerity over his eyes and Aomine froze. Kuroko shuffled closer to the bronzed male and his head leaned into Aomine's shoulder softly, letting out a soft sigh.

"Ahomine, when it rains, I think of the night you helped me with my injury. I think of that evening of playing basketball with you, Kagami-kun, and our seniors. I remember how warm you were when you had your arm around me on the subway." Kuroko softly spoke, eyeing the rainfall with an unknown sense of bliss. Aomine stared down at his unruly hair, speechless. "Now when it rains, I'll think of you how we were tonight, even though I can barely walk right now."

Aomine let out a gentle laugh at how truly embarrassing Tetsu could be. He drew himself behind Tetsu and draped his arms over his shoulders. He extended one arm toward the rain once more, catching each constant reminder of those raindrops in hand. Memories of that day in Teikō began to dissolve slowly, and in time he was sure that he'll never pass it a second glance ever again. Both light and shadow eyed the endless rain in front of them, relief internally washing over Aomine. The indigo hair male chuckled, withdrawing his arm to playfully flick the drops over Tetsu's face. "Wasn't it you who told me not to hold back?"

Kuroko shook his head at the drops and brought Aomine's arm back around his torso. "Ah, that's true." Kuroko sighed, leaning back into his broad chest. "You still should've considered how fragile I am."

Aomine sneered as he gave him a light squeeze. "You're not as gentle as you claim to be, especially in bed."

An embarrassed hum was Kuroko's answer, and he closed his eyes, taking in the sounds of the raindrops and Aomine's light breathing over his ears. "You're too much, Aomine-kun."

"Admit it, you liked it. At least it's the weekend, we don't have practice—"

"We have practice on Sundays."

Aomine shrugged, now enclosing his arms around Tetsu's shoulders with ease. He leaned down, his breath catching Tetsu's ear with a light laugh. "How about this; I'll carry you inside, we'll go back to bed, and I'll take _really_ good care of you." He suggested with sly intentions.

"The carrying part sounds nice. But leaving more marks will only have everyone question me." Kuroko stated reluctantly, and Aomine laughed a little louder this time, lifting one hand to trace his over the various pink spots over Tetsu's neck and shoulder where he claimed him.

"I can think of other things we can do." Aomine pressed coolly, now removing his arms from Kuroko. In a swift fashion, Aomine hooked one arm underneath his hamstrings with the other around his backside before lifting him off the ground. Cerulean eyes widen, and Kuroko found himself latching both arms around Aomine's neck. Aomine snorted at his surprise as he carefully made their way inside. He slid the balcony door shut with the heel of his foot before sauntering back into the bedroom. Aomine now sat over the corner of the bed, still holding Tetsu within his arms. Both males studied each other for a brief moment, the movement of their irises flickering to various areas of their facial features.

Kuroko removed one hand to place over Aomine's cheek. The tanned male leaned into it before delivering a soft kiss to those small lips. His lips widened into a smug grin, and he craned his head to the side. "Now when it rains, I'll imagine your red face trying to act all innocent when I can tell that you want me."

"You always know when to ruin things, Aomine-kun." Kuroko deadpanned lightly, now removing his hand from the other's face. Aomine let out a laugh and shifted his torso to the side to lay Tetsu over the bed before leaning over him with both arms on either side of the other's body. Aomine ran one hand through those azure strands of hair before giving Tetsu a warm smile as a reply. The taller male closed in, now running his hand through his shirt to splay over his waist and kissed his neck softly.

Kuroko released an exhale with those alabaster arms wrapping over his neck when Aomine began to explore his body once more in heavier breaths. Those cerulean eyes cast over to the windowsill once more, fixing its gaze over the falling rain with a small smile over his lips before letting the ace have him once more for the night.


End file.
